January 27, 2012 by Steve Hogg 0 comments

Posted in: Personal Growth

My annual eye exam was this week and the good news is I don’t need new glasses.  My vision really hasn’t changed much in more than a decade, so I’m happy about that.

I began wearing glasses my first semester of seminary.  I was 22 and noticed that reading small print gave me a headache.  After that first examination, the optometrist told me I needed glasses…bad. 

So I got my first pair of glasses.  When I walked out of his office, I noticed a coke sign across the street.  I was shocked!  I didn’t know red was supposed to be that red.  Driving home later that day on I-64 between Louisville and Lexington, I noticed I was reading road signs much sooner than normal.  I didn’t know I was supposed to be able to read them that far ahead.

Becoming a believer in Jesus was a similar experience for me.  It was like God removed blinders from my eyes and I saw the world differently.  Suddenly the Bible started making sense and I was learning new truths.

One truth is that God continues showing me new things…about myself…as the years go by.  Sometimes I like what He helps me see about myself.  Other times…not so much. 

It’s easy to remain blind to attitudes and habits in our own lives that hinder God’s work in this world…that hinder our effectiveness as a witness to the lost around us…that hinder our relationships.  We need regular spiritual examinations to point out what we’re not seeing.

God gives us spiritual exams all the time.  He uses the Bible, if we read it.  He uses other people, if we are willing to hear them.  He uses circumstances, if we trust Him.  He even uses crisis, if we don’t abandon Him.  God is always showing us things about ourselves, but we have to cooperate. 

Are you willing to learn?  Are you willing to learn more about yourself?  Are you willing to change and grow?  Are you willing for God to improve your vision?

I hope you are because it makes life better.  Never be afraid of what God wants to show you.

Pastor Steve Hogg