vision – Long walks and dark chocolate

Seeing Clearly: Understanding 1 Corinthians 13:12

Once again, I can be found on the porch, enjoying the morning. Things aren’t as crisp and clear today. I lost my glasses yesterday, and although my vision isn’t terrible without them, small print is nearly impossible, and I can tell there’s a lack of overall sharpness and clarity.

Eyeglasses resting on moss with small white flowers and green plants around in a forest

Sure, I can distinguish the birds from the squirrels, and even the male from the female cardinal, but the details are lost to me.

It has me thinking about the scripture, “For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known.” — 1 Corinthians 13:12

In Paul’s time, mirrors were made of polished metal, not clear glass like today. Reflections were dim, distorted, and incomplete. And isn’t that so much like how we see now?

We are given glimpses—through Scripture, through the Spirit, through creation, through experience and prayer—but it is still only in part. There are things we don’t fully understand. Things that don’t always make sense to us.

But one day, we will see clearly.

Fully.
Without distortion.
Without limitation.

There is comfort in that. A reminder to remain humble in what we cannot yet grasp, while holding on to the hope that understanding will come.

This verse follows Paul’s beautiful description of love, the kind that never fails, and perhaps that is no coincidence. Love is what carries us through the not-knowing. It steadies us in the waiting and in the wondering.

It feels like something God would do, to bring this verse to mind on a morning when my own vision feels just a little unclear.

My husband and I have been studying I and II Samuel, walking through parts of David’s life that are not always easy to understand. There are moments that leave us with questions, and places where our limited vision shows.

But even there, we are called to trust. To believe His Word, even when we cannot see it fully.

And maybe that is the point.

For now, we see in part.
But one day, we will see face to face.

Mistaken identity

August 26, 2013 5 Comments

I was about half a mile through my walk when I saw them in the distance. There were three of them, rather large, down a darkened path on the corner I was approaching. One was definitely black and another appeared to be a black and white mottled color. This was strange because I didn’t know anyone who had dogs fitting this description in my neighborhood.

My heart began to race and I knew the smartest thing to do was turn around as quietly as I could and head for home, hoping they hadn’t noticed me. One unknown dog is bad enough, but three could have dire consequences. I turned around and walked quickly toward home, glancing back a time or two to make sure I wasn’t being pursued by a pack of dogs.

All the while I was getting angrier and angrier. How dare people let their big dogs out to run around without any supervision when I was trying to get my daily exercise? This walk was my sanity and now it was getting cut short due to someone’s negligence. I planned and plotted in my head what I would say to the owner, the heated post I could make on Facebook. So much for the calming effects this walk usually affords.

Whenever I got home, I explained to my husband why I was back so quickly. He, being my protector and all, said he would find out who they belonged to and talk to them. Later that day, after he had spoken with the closest neighbor to where I had spotted the dogs, we still knew nothing. She didn’t have big dogs and didn’t know who they might have belonged to.

The next day, my desire to walk won over my fear of encountering them again, and thankfully, I haven’t. All I could surmise was that perhaps they were just visiting with someone or lost and they were long gone.

Imagine my surprise today when my husband comes in the house with a big smile on his face and asked me if it were possible that the “dogs” were goats? He saw the neighbor again and she said there were some goats nearby that had been getting out of the fence. The animals that I saw were on the outside of the fence looking in, almost like they wanted to get back in. I had no idea anyone nearby even owned goats, so never would have considered that a possibility.

One thing I have to admit is that my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. As I’ve said many times, I love my forties and yes, I even love that I can laugh at myself and share embarrassing moments. However, I do miss my 20/20 vision and looking back on that day, it infuriates me that I lost so much peace over goats!