I got caught. I was holding my cell phone at arm's length
like a rancid diaper. Why do I lean away
from the menu with my eyes agape, like the blue-plate special is a cat? Would you believe I just might have
presbyopia? I know what you are thinking
but it is not a religious disease that only Presbyterians catch. Yes, Presbyterians may come down with it, but
Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists are
equally susceptible.
I have learned that Presbyopia
is a common eyesight problem. It comes
from presby (meaning "elder/older man) and opia meaning "eye" or
"having to do with eyesight").
It is the slow deterioration of close-up focus. I am certainly not an ophthalmologist or
optometrist. My little bit of internet
research (now that's reliable right?) tells me that Presbyopia develops when
the clear lens of the eye loses its elasticity.
Elasticity changes focus, and focus determines whether I order sirloin
steak or shrimp scampi.
She now treats her progressive
presbyopia with inexpensive reading glasses.
We both juggle not four eyes but six.
She more than me. She stashes
several pairs of cheap readers in all sorts of places - nightstand, office,
couch cushions. But none of them seem to
be around when the cell phone rings or it is time to change the channel on the
TV.
There is a guy named Bartimaeus
in the Bible who has two strikes against him - he is blind, and he is
begging. In Jesus' culture this was a
perfect prescription for being overlooked (no pun intended).
As Jesus passes by, Bartimaeus
calls out for mercy. The crowd rebuked
him - and attempted to put Bart back in his place on the food chain. He had persistence and faith told him that
this Jesus fellow was his only chance at sight, so he yelled out even louder.
Turns out that Bart is the only person in the crowd who could truly see that
day. Jesus heals him and he receives his
sight. Bart knew what I need to hear
every day: Application of Light sharpens our focus on the world.
I have presbyopia in more than
one way. I don't see things clearly or
spiritually most of the time. A lot of
things are still blurry to me. I need to
sharpen my vision. I have Baptisopia -
others have Methodyopia, Lutheropia and so on.
This week is a time that has
been set aside to pray for victims of Human Trafficking and for those who
participate in this appalling, disgusting slavery.
When life gets fuzzy, I need focused Light.
The anti-human-trafficking
agency Not For Sale reports that there are
more than 30 million slaves in the world today.
That's more slaves than were kept at the height of the transatlantic
slave trade in the 1800s. Lest you think
this kind of thing only takes place in countries other than the good old US.
My Christian view of God
recognizes that every person is made in the image of God. Life is valuable. This is certainly an issue that needs more
Light application for more focus. The coming of Jesus means Light
into dark places (John 1:5). Bartimaeus
knew that day and screamed out in faith and received his sight. For Bart, there was only one way to get sight:
Apply Light to sharpen his focus on the world.
I confess I too often have
blurred vision when it comes to issues.
For me and my blurred vision the answer is the same: "Apply Light." My prayer is that I will have renewed courage
to learn from Bart. I pray that I will
be able to take the lens of Scripture and Light of Christ and apply them to
issues that I don't focus on and don't see clearly. How about you? Join me.
(I think this website is really cool. I always wanted to be a trucker)
