1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5 (LSB)
I had an appointment this morning at the V.A. hospital with my ophthalmologist. He is the surgeon who replaced the lenses in both of my eyes a couple of years ago so that I now have 20/20 vision. The only glasses I have to wear now are readers and sunglasses whereas, before the surgery I was near-sighted and wore glasses with Bi-Focal lenses in them….
This afternoon I had the house to myself so I rewatched a movie that I posted about here on Possessing the Treasure several years ago, Pilgrim’s Progress – Journey to Heaven. I am a big fan of John Bunyan and his book Pilgrim’s Progress. I have read it several times and have been blessed every time. So what has my hospital visit and this movie have to do with that passage I placed at the top of this post?
Good question! Well, My faith is the same faith I had before the surgery. However, I wore those glasses and wore those contact lenses from my early teens until my late 60’s. That made up a major part of my life. It was the mechanism through which I saw. Then I had the surgery and it was like I was a different person. One of the biggest changes for me was having to get reading glasses in order to read. I’m wearing them now so I can read my Bible and see what I’m typing. When I wore contacts or glasses I never really thought about it. Now if I have to cook some frozen meal, for instance, in the microwave then I have to have my readers on in order to read the instructions on the container. If I get a text on my phone I can’t read it unless have my readers on. <Continue reading post>