Through The Lens of Scripture
Despite the fact that cataract surgery is one of the safest and most commonly performed surgeries, I had more trepidation than I thought I would.
It’s safe to say that vision problems have been a part of my life for a very long time. I started wearing glasses when I was seven and began wearing contacts at age twelve. Being a tomboy, adjusting to glasses was not easy for me, so when my parents allowed me to get contacts, I felt like I was given a gift. Decades later my husband encouraged me to have Lasik surgery and again, I felt like I was handed a gift.
Only it didn’t last, because my tired old eyes developed cataracts and again I was struggling to see clearly. Cataracts build up over time and eventually your vision is so cloudy that its very difficult to see, especially at night. There is really only one alternative to surgery, and that is learning to live with impaired vision. I wanted to see, and my choice was clear: surrender to the circumstance or surrender to the surgery.
I chose surgery.
This experience has reminded me that sometimes in life we see our circumstances with cloudy vision.
Clouded by doubt, fear, worry, or even regret, our thoughts–and especially our feelings cannot be trusted to speak truth into our situation.
What fills our mind is often what steals our time.
Satan is the great deceiver. He loves to steal the moments of your life away. Filling your mind with all that is the opposite of truth, he will cause you to question all that God has for you. “How do I know what is really true”, you say? The world, our culture and what society says is constantly changing, but God’s word never changes. That’s why I love this verse in Philippians, and so many other Bible passages that give us instructions for facing life’s most challenging moments.
When anxiety and worry crept in over this surgery, do you think I just blindly followed? (Pun intended!) Not at all. As a matter of fact, because I had some serious questions I ended up getting three opinions. I researched online, talked to others that had gone through the procedure, and ultimately I asked God to give me wisdom in my decision making. You probably think that it is a strange or even awkward request to make when it seems obvious that ophthalmologists are educated, trained professionals that I should be able to put my trust in.
But God.
God loves me. God created me. And God knows every intricate detail of my eyes. I trust Him more than I do the opinion of man.
Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
My God created that beautiful butterfly, the sparrows… and me. The decision I had to make wasn’t just whether or not to have surgery–it was whether I would trust Him for the details. So I surrendered it all to Him. In prayer, I asked Him to lead me to the right doctor. I chose to place my trust in Him–even for the outcome. My word for 2024 has been Perspective, and again it has proven to be obvious why I needed this to be my focus. The details of my life might not always be clear to me because my earthly vision is limited to the here and now–but God sees the big picture. He knows what is best for me and the circumstances of my life can, if I allow them to, He will bring me closer and closer to the person I was created to be. The choice is clear:
Surrender to the circumstance or surrender to the Savior.
What is it that you are facing that God wants you to trust Him in? Do you see that because He is all-knowing and all-powerful, He is more than just able to walk you through it–He loves for you to trust Him enough to let Him lead you every step of the way. He does it for me, and He will do it for you if you will just admit that you need Him and that you trust Him to take control
You can always find out more by clicking on this page: FAITH
