Looking through the right lens and having the right perspective requires being positioned to hear God. We need to be inclined to receive God's wisdom.
If we do not have the right lens to see we will be blind. For instance, as someone who is nearsighted, I can see up close without needing corrective lenses. Secondly, I cannot see far away without corrective lenses.
Furthermore, I need glasses to be able to see far away and to be able to remove the blurry vision. Whereas, if someone is far-sighted they can see no problem with things which are far away, but things near and up close are blurry.
The point is with Christ things become clearer and less blurry.
Although if we walk in darkness then everything becomes unclear and blurry.
Walking in darkness is blinding just like walking with a distorted perspective on life or about people. Plus walking in darkness blinds us from seeing the light.
For example, if we harbor unforgiveness, bitterness, hate, anger, towards anyone then we are dipping our toes in walking in darkness.
Also, if we focus on things that are false or fears based on lies then we are basing things on irrational fears.
"Dead flies make perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool."(Ecclesiastes 10:1-3ESV).
"But the path of righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."(Proverbs 4:18-19ESV).
Substantively, walking in the light of God's wisdom we know where to walk and where to step. But if we walk in sin, unbelief, anger, etc we will stumble and not know where we are going.
The point is if we do not let turn away from sin then we will stumble.
Walking in the truth of God removes the blindness and the darkness. Yet, we need the blindness of unbelief to be removed from our minds and hearts. Only Jesus can do this.
We need the lens of Jesus to see the truth. Jesus gives us a new lens on life and changes how we see people. Thus, we do have to give up our old ways and old thinking. And we do have to give up seeing the worst in people to now seeing people as the best.
Moreover, we cannot harbor cynicism and expect to see the best if we only see the negative.
The love of Jesus and His truth changes us to love others. His love changes our perspective and sheds light on our brokenness. Jesus removes the blindness from our eyes, hearts, and minds. His love helps us to love others, flee from foolishness, and helps us to not cause someone else to stumble.
Now we may not be able to forget the hurts or wounds others have done to us whether intentionally or unintentionally but we can forgive and let the love of Jesus cover us and those who have hurt us.
But we cannot harbor things that lead us into sin. This means we cannot serve to masters. We either walk in the light of Jesus or we walk in the sin of darkness.
"The eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."(Matthew6:22-24ESV).
Jesus is the only one who can fix our focus and fix the lens we see through.
The lens of Jesus heals what is broken and restores what needs to be reconciled.
Whereas, if we have an unhealthy lens and perspective on life or people that are distorted by wrong assumptions or fantasy that is not based on truth then we are walking in darkness.
This is why we need the love of Jesus to reconcile us, but we have to receive it. Jesus reconciled us by going to the cross. The love of Jesus restores what was broken and lost.
We need the right picture and lens of truth.
Instead of a distorted version of the truth based on irrational fears.
"Whoever says, "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."(1John2:4-6ESV).
"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever, loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever, hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."(1John4:9-11ESV).
Here's, what we can learn we need Jesus, we need a pure pursuit of Jesus to keep his commandments. When we have the love of Jesus in us our crooked ways will change because we will want to follow Him and change.
We have to bury and leave sin behind us because we are raised from the dead after we accept Jesus.
Jesus births new things in us and shifts our focus to what is right. He changes the lens on the camera so that we can see the whole truth instead of half-truths. He puts things into focus.
In the end, we have to be willing to lay down our sins and follow Christ. We cannot live with one foot in and one foot out of the truth.
This means we cannot be angry, bitter, or remain in wounded hurt, nor can we remain cynical and walk in complete truth.
Walking in truth and light requires letting our guard down and letting Jesus in.
Even if it means letting go of the hurt of the past. Even if those around us hurt us the most we must forgive for our own sanity. And if we cannot forget the hurt Jesus can still restore what is lost.
References
English Standard Version Study Bible (2008) Crossway Publishing, Wheaton ILL,
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