My vision is horrible, to the point where I am a danger to anyone on the road if I don’t wear my contact lenses or glasses. The funny thing is, for years, I thought my vision was normal. In grade school, I would squint my eyes together in a pitiful attempt to make heads or tails of the words on the chalkboard, only to discover my efforts were in vain and were giving me a headache.
Thankfully, my parents caught wind of my dilemma and scheduled an appointment with an optometrist. The doctor quickly identified the areas of my vision that were impaired and prescribed a pair of glasses that allowed me to see clearly and experience life in a way that I never had before.
I discovered the same is true for our journey in life. Many of us are looking at the world through a clouded lens shaped by painful experiences, toxic beliefs, and debilitating memories. Like my experience as a child, we can go through most of our lives believing that this obstructive view is normal when it is hindering us from fully experiencing everything that God wants to do in our lives. That’s why we must set aside time with the ultimate doctor-God, to not only help us grab hold of a new vision but to experience life through a new set of lenses.
Essentially, our lenses in life are shaped by our narrative. Our narrative is the story that we tell ourselves, based on our beliefs, experiences, culture, and values.
Our childhood plays a major role in forming how we experience life, so by the time we are adults, we typically look for evidence to reinforce our existing beliefs. If our narrative is formed by painful events, ungodly teaching, or toxic influences, our worldview can become distorted. We must learn to test our current lenses against the backdrop of the Word of God so that we can see clearly through the lenses that God originally designed for us. Scripture provides instructions regarding how we should think, what we should value, and how we should engage the world around us. The Bible says:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
The process of creating a new narrative for our lives is something that we cannot do on our own. We must seek wisdom from our ultimate counselor, the Holy Spirit, who guides us on every step of our journey.
But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.
John 14:26 AMP
If your vision is clouded by the pain of your past, invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart today. Ask it to reveal to you the toxic beliefs in your life that have shaped your narrative, and give you a fresh vision that is rooted in hope and the love of God. If you desire to have someone walk alongside you through this process, we have a team that is ready to help. Please schedule a time to talk with us by visiting https://www.faithonthejourney.org/counseling