Be thou my vision...

A number of years ago a friend and myself were out ice fishing on a remote pond on a chilly Saturday afternoon. After catching absolutely nothing but ice for several hours, we decided to move the ice shed to a different spot. When we tried to move the shed we soon discovered it was frozen down to the ice. My friend, who was a few years older and significantly wiser, told me he would go in search of a tree branch which we could use to pry the shed free from the ice. I simply took inventory of what I had at my disposal and made plans to use what I had at hand.  I backed up about 10 feet and then hurled my body at the side of the building; effectively knocking the shed free from the ice and sliding it several feet.  My friend watched the spectacle with amusement and informed me when I reached his age I would go find a tree branch.  I am currently about his age, and while I may not be quite ready to surrender my youth, I would at least think about using a method which might limit the pain the next morning.

​There are many things about getting older I really do not cherish. Glasses are another one of the those necessary evils.  I put off getting the contraption installed on the front of my head as long as possible, but eventually had to acquiesce.  It was quite amazing how clear my vision became the first time I placed the glasses on my face.  I thought to myself...wow...I really should have done this earlier.

In recent days I have been looking at where the Lord is leading me in the coming years of my life.  The Lord has ordered each of my steps in preparation for where I am today.  Many opportunities lay before me which catch my attention and spark my interest.  The question really began to develop in my mind, "What is the Lord's will and what is merely a distraction from the Lord's Will."  

​This past Sunday I was sitting in church and the worship leader lead us in an old hymn of faith entitled "Be thou my vision."  The words to the first verse are as follows:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

​The Lord touched my spirit as I sang these words..."Be Thou My Vision."  So much is said by these simply words. LORD BE MY VISION. First, we need to submit our will to His and say "not my will but Yours be done."  Lord let my vision be your vision.  So many times I make my plans, get it all orchestrated, planned, and programmed and then ask the Lord to bless and fund it!  The Lord truly wants us to make these words our prayer...be thou my vision!

Secondly, we need the Lord to correct our vision. We go through life and slowly have deterioration in our vision of the world around us. This happens through unforgiveness, hurt, pain, and the crud of the world in which we live.  We truly need to have the Lord correct our vision on a regular basis, to bring us back to 20/20.  It is imperative we look through the lens of Christ when we are dealing with people we encounter.  Lord be thou my vision.

For us to age well we need to learn to lean more and more on his strength.  We need His corrective vision to keep us moving in the right direction and to make sure we are correctly interpreting the world around us.

Blessings
​Jonathan