What if I told you something that would change your life, and draw you closer to God?
Todays blog is about looking at every day things through spiritual eyes (in a sense).
Speaking of eyes, for as long as I can remember, my eyes have always bothered me. I was always that person itching or rubbing my eyes, and constantly felt like there was something in them. My family will tell you, I was always asking them to look at my eyes to see if they could “see anything in there.” As a funny side note, on at least 2 separate occasions, my sister DID have to help get a knat out of my eye, but those are stories for another day.
The Problem With Self Diagnosing
About 2 years ago, my eyes really were giving me legitimate problems and they were getting worse. My eyes began to get very red on the inside, swollen on the outside, they were itchy and began to get painful. I was convinced I had pink eye so I called my regular doctor. I asked him asking him to prescribe me for pink eye, because I just KNEW that’s what it was. Surely enough, he did send me a prescription for pink eye, and it only made it worse (apparently I am not a doctor).
I had seen an optometrist in the past for other eye issues. As they were getting worse, I called her office and left a voicemail explaining the issues I was having. She called me back almost immediately and asked me to come in the next day for an emergency visit. When she looked at my eyes that next day, she couldn’t believe how bad they were. She told me she could tell right away what the issue was, and that I have ocular rosecea. She said for it to be as bad as it was, it must have been at work behind the scenes for quite some time and started damaging my cornea, which if left untreated, can cause blindness.
Benefits of a Bruder Mask
Where am I going with this, you ask? That is a good question but I had to give you some background first. I’ve been seeing this doctor consistently ever since. It’s something that will never go away, but can be tamed. After some visits, she asked me if I had ever heard of a Bruder mask (an eye mask that can help relieve extreme dry eye). I hadn’t, and she recommended I get one. On the second, third, fourth, and maybe even fifth follow up visit, she asked me each time if I got a Bruder mask yet. I told her no, but that I was meaning to (I just kept telling myself it could wait). That’s when she asked me, “What if I told you, it could help in saving your eyes someday?”
I’m not sure what hit me so hard when she said that, but I went home and ordered a Bruder mask. I couldn’t help but think to myself of how stubborn we are as people. I spend money on silly things sometimes, but I wasn’t willing to spend the money on the mask that would help the situation with my eyes. We take the time to do every random thing, but don’t take the time sometimes to do the important things.
Viewing The Situation With My Spiritual Eyes
And with that, I thought of me and how I am with God. It made me think of how I am with reading his word. I am so thankful me and my mom have been doing a Bible study every week because it forces me to read (a good force!). We read a few chapters and then meet one night a week to talk about it together, and we are reading straight through the Bible. It was one thing to hear the stories as a child, but it’s another thing to form new and deeper understanding now.
When God Speaks Do You Listen?
When I was thinking about the situation again with my eyes, and that question she asked me, I felt God drop reading his word on my heart. Not just reading, but spending time with him. Getting to know him. Learning his ways and growing to LOVE him. I felt him ask me, “What if I told you that it would save your life someday?” I knew he didn’t mean in this life, but more so for the one that comes after. Those simple words were so heavy.
The scripture that came to my heart was..
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14
I really began to think about those words. The right things in life are not always the easiest things, or the convenient things. I thought of all those times I felt I should stop and read, but I chose to do other things instead. When I told myself “I will read later” and how many of those times, later never came. There were times I felt guilty for not reading or spending time with God, but then continued to not. On the contrary, I should have drawn in closer. All of those things make a difference. All of those seconds, minutes, or even hours — COUNT.
The False Promises of Taking The Easy, Broad Road
The easier road – perhaps even the “funner” road sometimes – is broad, wide-armed and welcoming. It will promise you a million things, but leave you empty. It will offer you “life” but it’s only temporary. A relationship with God is the less traveled road. Not as popular an option, and can definitely be much harder sometimes because it requires us to change.
When even just thinking of my eyes and the potential to lose my vision someday, that thought was terrifying. I know that is more of extreme outcome, but it was enough for me to take an extra step and finally get the mask. When I thought of losing my LIFE someday, or being cut off from God, one definitely felt more worrisome than the other, and that was a true eye opener.
“Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a FEW find it…”
But what if I told you, it would save your life someday?
-Marissa Chute
Related Link: “Jesus Is The Gate”
