Seeing Through a Better Lens

Yesterday I shared a phrase from the poet Kenneth White. He calls the light of Christ within all things "the diamond country." And he asks: Can you see it?

Time apart has a way of showing us our blind spots. One thing I saw clearly about myself on sabbatical is that as I've grown older, I've grown more worried. More anxious. There were times on that pilgrimage when I found myself gripped by fear.

When I noticed it (and I'm sure I didn't always notice), I tried to surrender it. Okay, Joe. Trust. Let go.

Here's what I know. When we look at the world through a lens of fear, whether it's fear of the future or fear of the other, we miss the light. The diamond country can be right in front of our eyes, and we walk right past it.

And it makes me wonder. In spite of all that I saw on that trip… how much did I miss?

Jesus put it this way: "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light."(Matthew 6:22)

Fear isn't the only thing that clouds the lens. John O'Donohue names others. Envy, always haunted by what we don't yet have. Judgment, always sizing others up, and usually harshest on ourselves. Resentment. Cynicism. Indifference.

When fear, worry, or resentment cloud your vision, may you notice… and let it go. And may your eyes be opened again to the diamond country all around you.

Prayer: God of grace, clear our eyes. Where fear has clouded our vision, give us trust. Where envy or worry or judgment or resentment has taken hold, help us let go. Soften our hearts and fill us with your Spirit, so that we might see your light in the world around us, and in the people right in front of us. Amen.