Spiritual Formation & Sight
At a recent conference on palliative care, one of the speakers said “you can rebrand something but you can’t change reality.”
That statement slammed into me and got me thinking about how often we rebrand something or we do something different, but we fail to address the root problems or foundations of something. We have to learn to see.
Spiritual transformation involves the purification of sight. Jesus said that if our eye is healthy, our whole body will be full of light (Luke 11:34). We have to learn to see—and accept—what is really there. Stripping away our illusions is part of this process, as it reorients us toward reality. To see God as God is—not as who we want God to be—requires that we see our self as we actually are. For the same cloud of illusions obscures our view of both God and ourselves. - Davi Benner
I can recall many times in my life that I wanted to avoid seeing, hoping that what was wrong or unaddressed would simply disappear. Hindsight can be 20/20, they say. But these days I long for more foresight. In part, I think I long for that so that I don’t end up disappointing people I respect or care about. I don’t want to live under illusions - about God, myself, others, or what is currently going on or has been going on.
Spiritual transformation involves the purification of sight.
Prayer
Lord, purify my sight. Let my eyes be healthy to see what is really there. Strip away my illusions and reorient me towards reality. Help me to see you as you are, not as who I want you to be. Forgive me for the ways that I have diminished you and elevated myself or others above you. Help me to see myself and others as you see them. Amen.
