“I will go before thee, and make crooked places straight” Isaiah 45:2a (NKJV)
Have you ever looked through a window after it has been splashed by rain or even some kind of dirty water? What you see as you look through the window is a twisted distorted form. You know what you are looking at isn’t distorted; it is the wet window that is responsible for the distortion.
Fear twists and distorts. Fear can grip us, choke all faith out of our hearts. Fear has a way of tying our stomachs up in knots, paralyzing our thinking, inducing panic.
The individual who is fearful, afraid, angry, depressed or lives in any negative state whatsoever doesn’t understand that he or she is looking at the world through something that distorts the world around them. They are looking at the world through their distorted nature that began in the garden and has been shaped by centuries of experiences that didn’t put the love of others first. Sadly, many are captive to negative states and can’t see what we are supposed to see. They do not see God’s creation as He intended it to be. They don’t see others as God created us to be. They don’t see themselves as they were designed to be.
God did not create us to walk around with a distorted view of His creation. Christmas reminded those who believe, Jesus brought news of the possibility of hope, love, joy and peace so that we don’t see the world through fallen eyes.
We are reminded that without the grace of God we are completely unable to choose by ourselves to follow Him.
We are reminded that we can’t refrain from sin or accept the gift of salvation without God’s grace.
We are reminded that the truth and the light are words associated with a divine intelligence that created us and loves us; the truth and light say: “He will go before us and make the crooked places straight” (Isaiah 45:2).
Because of our relationship with God we don’t need to fear anything. This is not positive thinking as our hope is not putting away negative thoughts. Instead, our confidence and hope rest in the power of God Almighty.
Sadly, many see the world with a corrupted vision that is responding to a world view or even their expectations. They look at the world and believe it is as it is supposed to be and, as long as they can’t separate themselves from that thought, they will never be able to realize the purpose of their existence. Some can’t see the world as God intended, despite the desire in their heart to connect with God. Maybe they are trying too hard with their efforts, possibly thinking that if they do certain activities, the distorted view of the life around them will be removed.
However, only God can open up eyes to His world. He invites us to believe that He is with us and is part of our daily life. He invites us to acknowledge His existence throughout the day, not just in morning prayer or evening prayer but everywhere we go and in everything we do. When we can believe He is in the world, we will begin to see the world around us through His eyes.
Here is a challenge for you this week – throughout your day stop and have a short conversation with God saying, “thank you for loving me and being with me today.” When you begin to acknowledge and look for Jesus’ presence during your day, He will remove the distortion. His truth will go before you to help you reconcile what you see. He will break your heart for your community and change you to become a new, changed person who wants to share Jesus’ truth and promises. Seek, acknowledge and give thanks.