I was sixteen when I
learned that trees had individual leaves; at least, ones visible from more
than a few feet away.
I literally
gasped in wonder when I put on my first pair of glasses and watched wide blobs
of green become defined, distinct, individual shapes that waved and
fluttered in the wind.
Having been
nearsighted since childhood, I'd grown up unaware that the world was anything
other than one huge, smeary blur.
In an
instant my faulty perception changed, and suddenly houses had windows, teachers had faces, and almost everyone I knew had strands of hair. My whole way of seeing was altered. I was able to see things as they really were - not merely as I’d imagined them.
In spite of such sudden clarity, however, I did not wear my new
glasses regularly. Having glimpsed the
marvels of clocks with numbers and billboards with words, I usually found myself choosing the
same old blurry life I’d become accustomed to over the years. Why?
Mostly because I was concerned with “what people would think.” Allowing myself to be seen in spectacles? It wasn't a pleasant prospect. I let vanity and self-concern keep me
from interacting with life as it really was.
In addition, some part of me was simply comfortable with the same
old blur. “The blur” was all I'd known. To realize that things were not actually as I’d perceived them was an adjustment.
Besides: if I saw the time on a clock, I would have no excuse if I were late for class. If I could read what Mr. Miller wrote on the blackboard, my conscience might nudge me to tackle an Algebra problem. In a very real way, I didn't want to handle too much reality, too fast.
Learning to see as God wants us to see is, in effect, like putting on a pair of
glasses. The lenses of Scripture and Church teaching bring into focus the reality of things as they are. They correct misconceptions we might have held, perhaps for so many years
that we hadn't realized they even were
misconceptions. They challenge us to "not worry"… "love your enemies"…. "sin no more"...."do not lay up for yourselves an earthly
treasure"……
I find myself faced with a choice
as I write this. Will I put on the
lenses God has prescribed for me..... or not? Maybe I'm willing to look at a few things through them, but what about some of those "tougher" issues.
Am I so comfortable with the same old blurry way of looking at
things that I find Our Lord’s words threatening?
Am I so concerned about “what people think” that I'm reluctant to be seen as someone who takes Scripture and Church teaching seriously?
I can look at life as the secular world tells me to, or I can use the prescription God has clearly written out for me.
Rx:
"Grille Eyes." The corrective lenses of
Scripture and the teachings of the Church.
To see or not to see. The choice is mine.
Georgios Jakobides painting, digitally altered
