Bread for the Soul: Lesson 1, "Presbyopia"
WAITING TO FOCUS
DR. ALLISON THOMPSON
PRESBYOPIA - A condition where, with age, the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects. Presbyopia’s exact mechanisms are not known with certainty; the research evidence most strongly support a lost of elasticity of the lens. Like gray hair and wrinkles, presbyopia is a symptom caused by the natural course of aging. The first signs of presbyopia – eyestrain, difficulty seeing in dim light, problems focusing on small objects – are usually noticed between the ages of 40 and 50. The word presbyopia comes from the Greek word “presbys”, meaning “old man” or “elder.”
Unlike many Christians and people of faith I have known, my nature has never supported an unquestioning faith or that wonderful Christian peace we sing and hear about. This flaw in my character plagues me. I feel as if I’m missing an essential “chromosome” on the DNA of a Christian. My earliest memories of my life included fretfulness, heightened worry, assumptions of negative results, and a conviction of being less than I ought to be. This is by no means an indication of a poor upbringing, although these struggles run in my family. I think it is noteworthy that my first grade teacher, Mrs. Byrum, told my mother during a parent teacher conference that I was too serious. (In truth, I was a petrified dyslexic who couldn’t understand a lick of anything go on around me.) Though not so encumbered by that particular disability at 48, sadly, I suffer from dyslexia of the mind and heart.
The assurances and faith statements that “forever Christians” speak generally bounce off of me like a crazy ball against the wall. I hear, I know and I comprehend. But seldom do I assimilate the confession of others into my interior awareness. Rarely does the inspiration of another great Christian, or the proclamation of a close friend, become folded into my belief system. In summary, any belief, assurance, or motive that makes up the essential “Allison” is forged through a fire of repeated failures and painful life experiences, not by the words I read or the confession of others. And additionally, I require a lot of time – decades- to move forward in my faith and personal maturity. This exploration, “Waiting to Focus” is dedicated with love and compassion to my comrades in the battle of life and faith, to my fellow sojourners who only know comfort tainted by worry, judgment muddied by questions, conclusions weakened by second-guessing, and decisions plagued with self doubt. Very few people with raise their hands in a discussion such as this and admit to the same Presbyopia. On behalf of the silent masses who are struggling to understand, make an impact, and be the person God wants them to be, I dedicate this.
Part I for the Christian Struggler:
Knowing God
The Great Lies:
With dogged persistence, the one of the greatest lies in Christianity is that our faith and our God clarify life for us to the extent that wondering and fretting become obsolete.
“I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see…” (Amazing Grace)
“Everything happens for a reason.” (Oprah Winfrey and all of popular culture.)
“There are no mistakes, only opportunities.”
(A delusional optimist)
“Everyone can achieve their dream through planning and hard work.” (A lucky millionaire or someone with very low expectations.)
? Take a moment to think about the statements above. Do you struggle with their meaning? In what way are they misleading? Is there something about them that IS truthful for you, and why?
Scriptures to consider about the Human Condition:
“All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:38)
(Billy Graham Association, Adrian Rogers) “All things are not good. It would be mockery to say that they are. The death of a child is not good. Cancer is not good, drug addiction is not good, war is not good, and blasphemy is not good…. In the chemistry of the cross God takes things that, in and of themselves, are bad, and He puts them together, much as a chemist might take chemicals that, in and of themselves, may be deleterious and mixes them to make a medicine that brings healing. God can take things that are bad and put them in the crucible of His wisdom and love. He works all things together for good, and He gives us the glorious, wonderful promise that He will do so.
We know that we have victory over sin and over Satan, but this verse in Romans teaches us that we also have victory over our circumstances. It says that all things work together for good.
“There is none righteous, not one.” Romans 3:10
John Wesley writes, “That all men are under sin appears from the vices which have raged in all ages. St. Paul therefore rightly cites David and Isaiah, though they spoke primarily of their own age, and expressed what manner of men God sees, when he looks down from heaven; not what he makes them by his grace. There is none righteous - This is the general proposition. The particulars follow: their dispositions and designs, #Rom 3:11|, 12; their discourse,” #Rom 3:13|, 14; their actions, #Rom 3:16 |- 18. #Psalm 14:1
3) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Bible Hub, Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible) This is the general character of all mankind; all have sinned in Adam, are guilty by his sin, polluted with it, and condemned for it; all are sinners in themselves, and by their own actual transgressions; this is the case of the whole world, and of all the men in it; not only of the Gentiles, but of the Jews, and the more righteous among them: hence there is no difference in the state and condition of men by nature; nor is there any reason from and in themselves, why God saves one and not another; nor any room to despair of the grace and righteousness of Christ, on account of persons being, in their own view, the worst of sinners:
The very thing I want to do, I don’t do. The very thing I don’t want to do, I do!
(Walkingcircumspectly.blogspot.com)
This seems to be talking about the condition of man before Christ, and I think to some degree, it is. But you know what? That war is still going on inside me. I still desire to do right but find myself doing things I hate (I am not talking here about fornication, murder, etc., but about being easily angered, jealousy, quibbling, etc.).
If we are disciples of Christ, we are being transformed into His image, but sanctification is not an instantaneous occurrence; it's done over a lifetime of choosing to obey God, developing a closer and closer relationship with Him through and by His Spirit. Even though I can know I am a child of God (1 John 5:13), it doesn't mean that I don't struggle with my own putrid, clamoring flesh.
