by Joanie Butman
Macular degeneration is an eye disease which leads to vision loss. It’s not uncommon in the over 55 crowd. There's no cure, but treatment can slow disease progression. My mom suffers from this condition and receives shots in her eye every six weeks. The shot itself causes blurred vision for a day, so she needs assistance until it clears.
When I was waiting outside the doctor’s office this week, I mused about what it would be like if there were a divine injection that could be administered to allow us to see others through Christ’s eyes. A treatment of sorts for spiritual macular degeneration. As I was doing my Bible study homework at the time, it occurred to me that being in the Word is exactly the prescribed therapy for this kind of vision loss. Taken in daily doses, studying scripture changes our perceptions, allowing God’s love, mercy and compassion to override faulty vision caused by our ego and humanity (which are also uncurable).
By the end of summer and a three-month hiatus from Bible study, my vision is blurred and in need of the eye-opening, life-giving wisdom Bible study offers. One of my study groups was trying to plan an in-person meeting recently and the host described it as a “viewing” after months of Zoom contact only. I joked that it sounded like she was planning a wake, which wouldn’t be too far from the truth as I typically feel spiritually moribund after months away from the discipline of weekly Bible study.
While we are still confined to Zoom meetings due to corona, it felt good to dive into a new study this week. As we did the traditional introductions, it was comforting to hear that I’m not the only one craving scripture and fellowship. Many of the attendees expressed how parched they felt after this long sabbatical and the following verse kept coming to mind:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God (Psalm 42:1).
It’s true that you don’t need to be in a formal Bible study to read scripture, but it’s also true that left to my own devices I don’t. I need the discipline and accountability of the group to help focus my mind and soul. Studying with others widens and sharpens my field of vision in the best possible way. It lubricates my soul with the love of God.
When I first started Bible study 23 years ago, my vision was blurred with my new-found knowledge. It took years to unlearn well-established thought patterns before my spiritual focus sharpened and recalibrated. It wasn’t that I suddenly discovered all the answers; it’s that I finally understood that I didn’t need them. Knowing the One who holds the answers is better. The future is blurrier than usual these days, but that is exactly when we need to choose to trust God in the unknowing, to trust that contrary to appearances, He alone remains in control. Just as I offered my mom my arm to guide her to the car, Christ offers His guidance to anyone who chooses to seek it. Choose wisely!
