In a Fog

There is a section of highway that nearly always has fog in the morning. Sometimes it extends a bit further, but mostly it is contained in this particular location.

The issue is that I have to go through this area to get to the church I attend. When I worked for the church, it was a daily trip and there were many days when I dealt with this fog.

But since I don’t work for the church any longer, I only pass that way a couple times a week.

A few months back, I was headed to church for Women’s Bible Study and the fog was especially thick. It extended much further than usual and it was difficult to see.

The drive was slow going. The road difficult to see. Traffic was heavy. It took great concentration to make this short distance without major difficulty.

Then suddenly, I drove out of the fog and into a clear sunny sky. It was as if someone had drawn or raised a curtain, for everything was quickly very clear.

And beautiful!

The view of the mountains at that moment was stunning. There had been a fresh coating of snow over the Twin Peaks and foothills. The sun was bright and the mountains glistened. It was a perfect picture.

Jesus had a few things to say about coming out of the fog or darkness of our spiritual lives. When we walk in this manner, we cannot expect to see Jesus clearly. We cannot expect to understand all that He has to share with us. So let’s see what Jesus has to say.

In Matthew 4:16 (NIV), Jesus quotes from the book of Isaiah, “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Jesus was and is the light. He displaced darkness in their lives and in ours as well.

Jesus also taught “the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light with you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23 - NIV) Our spiritual eyes must be good and free of fog or darkness in order to full of light. Learning from God’s Word will bring our eyes to full potential.

On a couple of occasions, Jesus taught while healing blind men. In Luke 18:41 (NIV), Jesus asked a blind man what he wanted and the blind man said, “Lord, I want to see!” I wonder if this blind man knew all that Jesus wanted him to see. Not just physically, but spiritually as well.

Then again, in Mark 8:22-26 (NIV), we see Jesus healing a blind man. But He healed in stages. Jesus was clearly teaching in this moment. Jesus healed this man completely. “Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” He saw more than his world clearly, he saw Jesus clearly.

The greatest change in eyesight we find in Scripture was the Apostle Paul. In Acts 9 (NIV), Saul saw a great light and was blinded. Jesus spoke to Saul. Saul heard the message of salvation from Ananias. Saul’s eyes were opened and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. After a short while, Paul (once known as Saul) began to preach the Gospel fervently. His eyes were fully opened to all that Jesus taught throughout His ministry.

We may have better vision than those living before Jesus, but we still are not able to see everything as clearly as we will once we are in heaven. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV) says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” What a day that will be when we know as we are known. Fully. Completely. That’s what I am living for!

I praised God for the remainder of my journey. He had shown me such beauty that morning. He had proved to me that He could make everything beautiful in His time. He gave me a gift that I’ll not soon forget. He opened my eyes so that I might see more clearly.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna