New Eyes

I remember when I became a Christian and invited Jesus into my heart. It felt as though every cell in my body had been made new again. My vision was even different. I was given new eyes. Not literally, of course…but I was seeing the world through the lens of Jesus. Everything was filtered in a new light and I could see beauty in places I’d never seen it before.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day who is developing a relationship with God. I shared something in a conversation and the response was… “You have grown.” I smiled and said a gracious thank you. I have grown. I’ve put in a lot of work AND Jesus has done the biggest part of the heavy lifting. However, part of the shift in this person’s perception is the new eyes they’ve been given. It’s wonderful to see the metamorphosis in a person that comes through faith.

I watched church online yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve watched a sermon in a while. We’ve been in a season of being still. We stopped going to church in person early in the pandemic. We watched our home church online for about a year afterward. Then, a series of events occurred that caused us to lose confidence in our pastor. I was disappointed, to say the least. It wasn’t a crisis of faith or belief. We just needed to be still and listen for God in our lives.

He has shown up in huge ways. We’ve seen frank miracles play out before us and it’s been so comforting to know God never leaves our side…no matter where we are in our process. I picked up my coffee and my book and headed out to the deck to read before the day got too hot. Not long after I sat down, I received a notification that Red Rocks Church was going online in five minutes. I felt compelled to tune in and it was as if someone passed a note to Pastor Shane and said, “Here…talk about letting go. Ginny needs to hear this and send it to her friend.” It was the perfect message at the perfect time.

God shows up for us in the most amazing ways and we can truly be in a relationship with Him if we open our hearts and minds, let go, and listen for His voice. It humbles me every single time. It excites me. It brings me joy. It fills me with awe. I sat there listening to the sermon and it couldn’t have been more direct if they would have said my name…or my friend’s name. I shared it, of course. After all…it was given to me for that very purpose.

Hearing God’s voice, feeling His presence, and taking directions is only part of the equation. It’s equally important to do what He tells us to do. When you do that, there is inexplicable peace and joy that washes in. And that…that is a feeling that makes you want to keep coming back for more.