Do you know the difference?
I was 10 years old and in my first year at Mt. Alvernia High School located in Montego Bay, Jamaica. As students, we were told that we were being treated with free eye exams conducted by Canadian eye doctors. Boy were we excited! Everyone lined up eagerly looking quite beautiful in our pristine white uniforms with blue ties. The attendants went through the normal routines of the exam; my classmates went through the lines in the outdoor laboratory, and soon it was my turn. The eye doctor dropped a liquid in my eye which years later, I found out was a kind of eye dilator. Well unlike some of my classmates, my eyes were never the same. Before the exam, I had 20/20 vision. I could see 20 feet ahead of me without corrective lenses. I could sit in the back of a large classroom and see the board with all its contents with clarity from any angle. After the exam within the same week, I could not see clearly, my eyesight was blurry. I had to be moved to the front of the classroom. This free treatment ended up being very costly for my parents because I had to go for a local eye exam which led me to wear prescription glasses as well. My eyes have never been the same and my view of the world has been drastically altered.
What does this have to do with the difference between eyesight and vision?
Sometimes we believe that eyesight and vision are the same, and use them interchangeably. But we are wrong. Although related, they are very different. Not knowing the difference can be life-altering. Let's talk to the doctors and hear what they have to say...
In a perfect world, our eyesight is on par at birth. The world enters our eyes through the cornea, aqueous humor, lens, and vitreous humor. It then projects onto the retina's photoreceptors, which in turn communicates impulses to the optic nerve. The optic nerve then relays it to the brain where the real photo workshop is busy creating dazzling images depending on what our eyes "photographed". Every image is fraught with meaning and is either used immediately or filed for future viewings or projections. Beautiful sceneries and moments are often recorded because of the faithful duty of our eyes. This is if everything works well.
What if it doesn't?
My eyesight became compromised when I was 10 years old due to the use of dilator drops that had adverse effects. Several adverse conditions may affect our eyes preventing them from working optimally, but I will focus only on a few of the most common:
Near-sightedness... light enters the eye but doesn't reach the back of the eye. This means that a person sees close things clearly, but those in the distance are blurry. (myopia)
Far-sightedness ... the eye's focusing- light power is weak, therefore one cannot see things clearly, especially when the object is up close like words in a book. (hyperopia)
Close-up vision loss- refers to the aging of the eye. Gradual vision loss progresses steadily because the eye lens is not flexible...change-resistant. (presbyopia)
Stigmatism- in this condition, light is focused on a single point in the eye therefore a person's overall vision becomes blurry, whether seeing near or far. This may lead to blindness.
I became myopic, then hyperopic, and now I am presbyopic. Honestly, I believe that at 10 years old, the dilator drops jumpstarted the presbyopic stage ( eye aging). Without intervention, I suffered physically, and academically. I had social anxiety due to social stigmatism. Who wanted to be teased at that tender age? My vision was improved by utilizing prescription glasses and contact lenses. Praise God that due to my overall lifestyle habits, my eyes are still very healthy and I have no eye disease.
as in the physical... so in the spiritual!
Science says that one in every 5 people we meet has an eye issue. Therefore statistically, in a population of 8 billion people, 1.6 billion people suffer from some type of eye condition. If we apply this data spiritually, 1/5 of the world's population has an issue seeing God's word clearly or at all. According to Pew Research, there are about 2.5 billion Christians in this world and if we apply this data to the church, there are around 5 million Christians who have an issue with their "eyes". We know that whether it is worldwide or churchwide, the number of those who have an issue with "light" (truth), is astronomically much higher.
Light is essential in our lives even if one is blind. It is mandatory for food production, for heat, energy, physical health, mental health, socio-emotional health, knowledge, and insight. It is vital for both physical and spiritual survival. We cannot live without it.
The Bible states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Therefore none of us have 20/20 eyesight. Sin has darkened our perception of GOD. Their love, character, and purpose for us have been significantly skewed. In this type of manipulated darkness, Satan has a stronghold over us and keeps us in error and bondage of varying degrees. To be free from this midnight deception we need "Light" and lots of "light."
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." Psalms 119:130
a royal entrance...
God's Word encourages us with the hope of better things. We need its royal entrance. The entrance of His Word into our "eyes" the portals to our brains, provides permanent solutions to all our 'eye problems':
Do you have Spiritual Near-sightedness? Do you only see the things that are close up...right in front of you? Do you accept God's love and the basic truths of salvation, but find it difficult to grow in your faith because you may be a surface reader? Perhaps you believe that keeping all the commandments and every word that proceeds out the mouth of the Lord is unnecessary. Therefore the greater insights that God wants to share with you are locked in darkness until you say "yes "to more "light"... more of His truths. Until you do so, the things that are in the distance (those that require more insight and discernment) will remain blurry. God's word is progressive and not stagnant... don't stunt your growth... but liberate it! Believe in God's word and let it penetrate your biases.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105. "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:" Proverbs 6:23 KJV
Perhaps you do not suffer from spiritual myopia but Spiritual Far-sightedness.
You understand the doctrines well, you know all the prophecies, and can both interpret and teach them. You are obedient to all the commandments. Yet you cannot appreciate the things that are close up. You don't have a healthy love for people. Your love for God is based on completing actions. It is not heart religion. You are not hearing the cry of hearts in need all around you. You care only about saving your own skin. This is progressive legalism. There is still hope to correct your vision!
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law [in love], happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Maybe you are experiencing Spiritual "Close-up" Vision Loss. You have been a seasoned Christian for years... active in the community, and meeting the needs of the poor and needy. You are a "Paul" or a "Peter". You have "aged" quickly in the truths of God and you are 'on it' when it comes to spiritual things. Yet you are suffering from gradual vision loss even though you are wearing "corrective lenses". You have started to believe that you don't have to grow anymore as a Christian and that you have everything you need. There is nothing more to learn or obey...I am saved and sealed. Your spiritual eye lenses are in a non-flexible mode and therefore are change-resistant. "I am happy where I am". This is a perilous eye problem because you may even begin to interpret truth based on your feelings and likes and not on the revealed will of God in His Word. Yet God still holds out His light.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:18 KJV
Spiritual Stigmatism is our last eye "issue" on which I would like to focus. In this condition, you know the truth but you reject it. You have been exposed to truth, but you do not take the opportunity to research it no matter how the Holy Spirit points out your error over and over again. In this phase you harden your heart perhaps because of denominational bias; a desired relationship; career ambition; fraternal or sororal pledges or family allegiance. You choose not to wear your corrective lenses even when they would have afforded you greater insights into building a relationship with God making Him your number one priority. You are no longer seeing close-up truths nor are you willing to accept God's commandments or prophecies that reveal His will, or His salvation (far-insights). Unlike the apostle John, of whom the Scripture stated in John 1:8, "He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light," though you do not say it, you want the limelight that belongs only to God. "Self" becomes a god. Jesus becomes an afterthought and therefore impotent in your Christian experience. Satan's pushes for full possession. "Blindness" is inevitable." Yet "with" God, nothing is impossible. Luke 1:37. There is only one remedy: a Royal entrance; a royal rescue.
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV
In this sinful world, "... everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." John 3:20 KJV. And yet we cannot point any fingers because we have all found ourselves in this category. The Bible says that all have sinned and disappointed God in His purpose for us. Romans 3:23.
Whatever the eye issue that we may be struggling with, Jesus is the only way to correct our poor vision and blindness. His royal entrance into our hearts through the study of His Word restores our eyesight perfectly. Amen to that! Vision is light entering the eye and interacting intelligently with the brain without any hindrance. Whether in the physical or Spiritual sphere, only the Holy Spirit, God the Father, and Jesus can provide a deep-seated, meaningful interaction that will rescue us from both Satan's malicious seduction and sabotage, and our willful and simple ignorance.
If this is so my friend ...reader, Won't you say "Yes" to Jesus today? Won't you say "Yes" to this Royal Entrance who is both the light of the world and the source of all the light we need? Thanks for choosing to let His word enter your soul and expel all the questions, darkness, pain, and selfishness... today. Click here to sign up for free Bible studies.
"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." Psalms 36:9 KJV
Mental Health...
Sometimes people with mental health issues or concerns may experience social stigmatism because they are viewed as their illness instead of a person experiencing mental illness.
If you are seeking, or speaking to a counselor, you are "looney".
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Don't let anyone steal your joy of being your best!
"He [Christ] was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in His light." John 5:35 KJV Click here for free Talk Therapy, a subservice of "HeART" Therapy.
health trivia
Which of these elements are risk factors for eye disease?
age
sex
diabetes
hypertension
race
physical inactivity
heart disease
environment
insufficient finances
diet *Health Tip: Want better eye health? Incorporate more carrots, green juices, green veggies, water, legumes, nuts; lutein. Click here for a free Meal/Juice Prep or Lifestyle consultation.
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