Day 23: Jesus, Our Sight for Sore Eyes

As I walked from my car to work, the frigid air conflicts with the fact that spring started on March 20 and that today is April 1. Everything is ready to bloom and get on with spring 2019, but the weather keeps rejecting the pleas of plants and people to allow warmth to surround us.

Even the birds seem to be chirping their disappointment in the weather. Their normal harmonious sounds seem out of sync and disruptive. They seem to be yelling instead of singing. Their voices reprimand the weather to get with the program and let the bright sun signal winter’s end.

As my body adjusts to the change of seasons, my eyes are trying to get used to the brightness of the sun and the allergens that are being released into the atmosphere. I am also irritated with the weather for being so unkind.

Global warming has caused our weather to shift out of sync with plant life. While the temperature feels like a throwback to January, the plants are on schedule as they bloom their way into our senses. Since I’ve been here in the DC Metro area, the cherry blossoms have always been fighting with the unseasonably low temperatures for their chance in the spotlight for the annual festival.

While none of this is new to me as a 10-year resident of this city, this morning, as I was driving along a route that I’ve driven hundreds of times, I felt as though I was seeing everything for the first time. The white blossoms in my neighborhood caught my eyes like never before.

When I think of all of this, I think of Jesus’ question in John 1:38, “What are you looking for?” Jesus was talking to two disciples of John the Baptist, one of whom was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. After John identified Jesus, the two disciples started to follow Jesus.

Jesus’ question was the first words he spoke in the Gospel of John. Jesus’ question was an invitation to discipleship. You can tell by the response of John’s former disciples. They asked, “Where are you staying?” Their response was a yes to Jesus’s invitation to follow him.

In thinking about the battle between earthly life and the weather, I like how the blossoms responded. They just did what they were called to do and left the weather up to Mother Nature. The birds fussed about the weather and got distracted by it while I needed to have my eyes opened by the blossoms’ obedience to the eternal clock.

The blossoms were looking at eternity while the rest of us were looking at the weather. Their eyes were set on the One whose appearance is a sight for sore eyes when the weather of life is harsh, cold and bitter. They responded with a yes to the call to discipleship – a chance to glorify God on earth with all that God has given them. For the blossoms, God gave them beauty and a sweet fragrance to usher us into God’s presence.

Sometimes, as the weather of life rejects our desire to be surrounded with warmth, we lose sight of what really matters. Our eyes become sore with the things we see in the world. Sometimes, our eyes just become sore from fatigue at looking. Yet, Jesus has a new vision for us to see as we gaze upon Him.

Today, as you reflect, I ask you, “what are you looking for?” Are you waiting for an invitation from Jesus to be His disciples or are you fussing with the cares of life or looking at the wrong thing? What are you looking for? I know you know the answer. You are looking for Jesus, Our Sight for Sore Eyes.