20/20 Vision

Focus on the Opportunities for Christ in the New Year
December 5, 2019

The first time I was in the ophthalmologist’s office, as a little boy, I was shown a 3D image. The physician asked, “What do you see?” I responded, “I see only a blob.” With that he smiled and said, “I’m not surprised.” Not only was I suffering from near-sighted vision, but also a condition called strabismus. My two eyes drifted far apart and never worked together, thus seeing a 3D image of what was supposed to be a fly was simply a blob. I envied my classmates who always bragged about 20/20 vision. They seemed to see everything that moved or breathed. It came so easy to them. Oh, how I wanted to be able to see like that!

Candidly, I have decided many Christian believers are handicapped by spiritual nearsightedness. Believers are often stuck on what has been instead of “what if” by looking with faith to “what can” become. My Bible tells me that “with God all things are possible.” Through faith in Jesus and the unction of the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible for God’s people.

Many years later I had surgery on my eye to help bring it into line and movement with my other eye. What a thrill to see things differently! With the addition of corrective contact lenses—wow, 20/20 vision! Incredible! How precious are our eyes!

The same is true spiritually. When we have on the glasses of the Holy Spirit, we too can see with heavenly insight, heavenly vision. As Christian author Chuck Swindoll has penned, “The word insight is translated from a Hebrew verb that means to be prudent, that is to be wise, to have foresight, to be shrewd in the practical management of one’s daily affairs. It includes the qualities of discernment and keen awareness. Another word for insight is vision.”

He continues, stating that leaders “must be able to see the big picture, to envision the tomorrows of any undertaking, to visualize the future consequences of today’s decisions, to calculate risk and develop contingencies. He or she must look farther down the road than those who follow. No leader can afford to remain entangled in only the tedious details of today.” This applies not only to leaders in the conference, but also applies to all God’s leaders in every local congregation.

The year 2020 is a brand new slate. It is an opportunity for 365 fresh new days to do great things for the cause of Christ. Our conference theme is 20/20 Vision: Evangelism; Youth/Young Adults; Education; and being Spirit filled and Spirit led. May your EYES be connected to the Holy Spirit this year to seize the opportunity to go forward in great faith to advance the Advent movement.

By Richard C. Dye, Sr., President