I Can See Clearly Now

The other day I attended my annual eye examination. Don’t you just love those things? I use to hate going to the dentist the most, but my current dentist is quite unbelievable, no more fear. I’ve never been a fan of having my eyes poked at, really gives me that yucky feeling. It seems as I get older the dilation of my eyes lasts longer. In my twenties, I had an eye related injury and had to have my eye and inside eyelids swabbed out. Now, that was a treat, second only to the nasal swabbing for H1N1. Talk about pleasant memories that will go down in the memories of time.

The dilation of my eyes hampered my abilities for the rest of the night. We walk this life assuming that we’ll always be able to do just that, walk, talk, see, hear, think, smell, and feel. So much we take for granted. Many of us are much more sensitive than others, being made aware of the reality of life by fearing for our loved ones fighting in foreign wars, praying at bedsides, watching loved ones suffer in illness and approaching death, giving our own lives to the service of our disabled children, spouses, siblings and parents, and suffering from our own illness and grief. In our entire normalcy, how often do we fail to slow down, take a breath, and appreciate the Blessings of God?

James writes to us to persevere under trials. How easy it is to wallow in our misery, to complain in our circumstances, to yell at and not to God. How easy it is to say, “That’s not fair, it’s too hard, you don’t understand”. Suffering can cause us to pull inside of ourselves to hide our feelings, show we’re strong, put on our masks, or just plain hide. We pull what we need to cover our eyes to not see God, to not seek help, to not feel love, and to avoid the vulnerability of giving love.

So much can blur our vision. So much can get in the way. I encourage you, my friend and reader, to evaluate what’s in your own life that is clouding your vision from embracing the blessings that flow into your life, that come your way. I also encourage you to explore what blessings lie within the struggles you’re enduring, changing your mind set from being a victim to being an over-comer. I encourage you to, as always, rest in the arms of God and spend some time thanking Him, earnestly, and sincerely. Think, feel, walk, talk, smell, and just be, in your life.

(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

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