Daily Devotionals

Fixing Our Eyes on the Eternal

Posted in Trust/Patience

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen in eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Sight is truly a miraculous gift:  Our eyes are incredibly complex organs that enable most of us to see in amazing detail, color, and depth.  Even though I have to wear glasses every day, I can’t imagine not being able to see the colors in a rainbow, the majesty of a mountain range, or the faces of the people I love.  I have two nephews who are color blind.  One of them received a pair of glasses for Christmas this past year that enabled him to see color like others do.  His comment, after putting them on was, “Is this really how everyone else sees?”  “Wow, is that what orange really looks like?  That is so cool!”  We sometimes take our sight for granted or forget that others cannot see the world as we see it.

And as amazing as sight is, sometimes our eyes can deceive us, can’t they? The way we see things, people, and situations is sometimes colored by our fears, anxieties, and preconceived ideas.  As I get older and my ability to see clearly and far away diminishes and, as I come to understand that there is a lot more that I don’t know and understand about the world than I do, I have a better appreciation of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” and that “we live by faith, not by sight.”  But what about the old saying, “Seeing is believing!”  How can I truly believe in and trust what I cannot see?

When Christ followers place our faith in our eternal God first, God then equips us to see the world as we’ve never seen it – through his eyes and not our own.  In a sense, he gives us a new pair of glasses that, when put on, forever changes the way we see the world and those around us.  We are asked to see other people through God’s loving and merciful eyes instead of through our own eyes that are often clouded by those fears, anxieties, or preconceived ideas about one another.  Through his eyes we may find ourselves saying, “Wow – is that what real love, mercy, compassion, and joy really looks like? That is so cool!”  

Faith in the unseen and eternal is not popular or easy, and it is subject to much ridicule by the world around us.  But, when we believe, the new and improved sight that we receive in return is an amazing gift from a loving God.  Thanks be to God!  

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help me each day to fix my eyes on you – on those things that are eternal and not temporary.  And in so doing, give me the ability to see and love others as you see and love me.  

Submitted by Ginger Bates