I wake from a night’s slumber. Then I swing my legs out of bed. (Well, some mornings it’s less swing and more surrender to gravity.) And then I reach for my glasses. This has been the pattern since fourth grade. My glasses remove distortion. The strong prescription lenses give clarity to the physical world. Without them I would go through a day squinting, stumbling and stubbing my toes. There would be no driving a car. All faces beyond a few feet would lose distinction. Everything would be swallowed up in blurriness.
Shortly after this visual routine, I put on “spiritual glasses.” Whether in my “prayer chair” or someplace else, the next twenty minutes are spent yielding head to heart. It is sometimes called centering prayer. Whether in complete silence or with meditative music, it is a time to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The literal rendering might prove helpful: “Cease striving and know that I am God.” These minutes of inward soaking are followed by Bible reading and reflection. With inner “glasses” now in place, the journey of this day can more consistently be lived through the lens of God’s light.
To neglect our “spiritual glasses” is to face a new day with the invasive cataracts of what Jesus called “the cares of this world.” And such cares “choke the Word,” clouding our vision with hazy confusion rather than Christ-centered clearness. So instead of turning on CNN or FOX, try putting on your “glasses” first thing. Whether twenty minutes or two minutes, develop a pattern of reaching for the lens of light. Begin your day with a focus on Christ. You’ll see the difference.
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