This past week I took my sons to the eye doctor. I also had an appointment. Each of the boys (age 9, 10, and 13) have 20-15 vision. I also got a good report, sort of. While I can see just fine things that are far away, I have a problem with stuff that is two to three feet in front of me. And the closer I get to something, the more blurry it gets.
This isn’t anything sudden or dire, said the doctor. It is just a part of getting older. I let out a sigh when he said that (and again as I typed it). So, I was fitted with bifocals and will be getting them in about a week.
As I was shaving this morning, I noticed the gray hair in my beard and at my temples. Again, I let out a sigh (and again just now as I typed that).
There’s no denying it. I’m getting older. I turned 44 this last March. I didn’t feel especially older, but I’m certainly looking it (or not being able to, as the case is with my eyes).
Getting older, the body getting slower and achy, this happens to most people. And it is a clear indication that something’s night right. Why do we get old and sick and eventually die? Why did my grandmother get dementia? Why did my grandfather get cancer? Why do I ache when I’m done jogging in the morning? Why are my eyes going bad on me?
All of these things are symptoms that something’s wrong with the world the way it is right now. And that something is called “sin.” Ever since Adam and Eve broke the one commandment God gave them (Genesis 2:17), the world has been suffering with sin (Romans 3:23 and Romans 8:22).
But there is good news. God loves us so much that He came to us in our pain and broken-down state. He came to us in His Son Jesus Christ – who may not have dealt with gray hair and failing eyesight but certainly felt pain and death! And in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God saves us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
Max Lucado, in his book “Just Like Jesus,” says that God loves us right where we are but He refuses to leave us there. God loves us no matter how broken and run-down we are. He saves us from all sin, no matter how grave and terrible we think it is. But God also refuses to leave us in that sin and broken-down state of being. He moves us from our sin to His Son’s righteousness. While we make progress (for lack of a better term) in this life, it doesn’t fully happen until we enter that place where there is no more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).
In the mean time, I’ll be immersing myself in God’s Word and God’s love, and I invite you to do the same!
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