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Looking in God’s direction

Regular columnist Jane Walters shares her frustrations with using spectacles, but then explains why the choice of specs is of secondary importance.

One of the biggest irritations of middle age, I’ve found, is the change in eyesight. For everyday use I wear varifocals, which are a great compromise most of the time, but at other times have me waggling my head around like the Churchill dog of the adverts, trying to find the right portion of lens to peer through.
 
My reading glasses are great for sewing, playing the piano and, er... well, reading; but not for threading a needle (which I’ve decided is simply impossible) or playing the saxophone. On, off, on again. It’s a perpetual nuisance.
 
However, of far more importance is the other sight defect I’ve discovered recently: that of having the wrong perspective. I’m in the throes of moving house, which ranks high in the list of most stressful life experiences, and despite having access to heavenly peace through prayer and the presence of Jesus, I have found myself anxious.
 
All around me are boxes – either already filled or waiting to be used – to say nothing of clouds of bubble wrap and sheets of paper, and they are the constant reminder that life is changing from the present I’d got familiar with to the future I’m not sure of.
 
Frequent escapes have offered a useful “fire break,” whether that’s a walk or cycle ride or a few days spent with friends and family, but it doesn’t make the situation go away. That’s when I have to remind myself that it’s not a change of scene I need so much as a change of perspective. It’s not a question of which pair of glasses to wear, but which direction to be looking in.
 
The Psalms are a great illustration of how this works in practice. This morning, I was reading Psalm 59, in which David is under threat of enemy attack. It describes him looking towards them and then towards God, like a spectator watching a game of tennis.
 
By the end, he’s made his decision to keep his eyes fixed on God. ‘But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.’
 
I needed that reminder today. That whatever storms we find ourselves facing, whatever pressures we are under, we have a choice. We can either focus our attention on them and unwittingly welcome in the worry and anxiety that inevitably follow, or we can choose to look to God and find Him standing there with a soft blanket to wrap around our shoulders as He pulls us close. Put like that, it’s a no-brainer.

The image above is courtesy of pixabay.com


jane walters 750CFJane Walters, formerly Clamp, is the author of Too Soon, a mother’s journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to Premier Radio and UCB. She leads creative writing retreats and is a popular speaker locally and further afield. Visit: www.janeclamp.com

 
 

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