In my car, I have what is known as a ‘heads up’ display, which is an optically projected image of the dashboard onto the driver side windscreen. The object of this is to keep the driver safe by making all the information on the dashboard available as a virtual image on the windscreen, to keep the driver's eyes on the road.
A few months ago I had an experience that brought a powerful spiritual truth home to me. These are the events as they unfolded. My car had been in and out of the shop for various reasons and on this day as I was driving home from church, I noticed that I could no longer see my heads-up display. I became agitated because I felt that a lot of things had had to be fixed in the car recently, and I was not in the mood take my car back into the dealership. I turned to my mom who was sitting next to me and started ‘whinecomplaining’ “Mommy look at this! Something’s wrong again I can’t see the heads-up display!” and etcetera etcetera and on and on I went… my tirade went on for a few minutes, and my mother who is a saint sat patiently through my temper tantrum saying to me “at least you can get it fixed it will be okay”. “But mom that’s time again wasted going to the dealership” and on and on I went. All of a sudden something dawned on me. I said to my mom “would you please hand me the other pair of sunglasses in my bag?” I change sunglasses, and the most amazing thing happened voilà the heads-up display was back! I switched back to the previous sunglasses, and the heads-up display was gone! At this point, I realized that the first pair of sunglasses I'd had on were prescription sunglasses. My prescription glasses have cylinders in them because I have mild astigmatism, and because of the cylinders my angle of vision while viewing the heads-up display tilted and caused it to become invisible! When I switched back to regular sunglasses, no cylinders - the image reappeared!
I started laughing at myself because I tend to get worked up over simple things only to find out that they have simple solutions, and this situation was no different. My long-suffering mother just looked at me and said, “see”. And I "saw"! Thinking over this episode made me realize something really important. What we ‘see’ or do not ‘see’ may sometimes not at all be dependent on whether the object exists or not, but may be dependent solely on the filters through which we view the object. The Lord explained it to me this way: "take every promise that I have given you as that heads-up display. It was there all along, but your ability to perceive it was dependent on the lenses/ filter through which you were you were viewing it. With the prescription glasses, you could not see it even though it was there. But when that filter was removed and replaced with an appropriate one, you were then able to see it. See, that is why I urge you to stay in my Word because then and only then can you receive the ability to see things as they are. And when you see someone caught up in a sin or bad habit don’t turn on them, fight them, or judge them. Pray that the filter that's distorting their vision and preventing them from correctly perceiving be removed so that they can ‘see’ ". Because when we truly 'see', we 'know' as it is, and not as it seems to be.
Was this not Paul’s prayer?
◄ Ephesians 1:18-19 ►
...The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power...
I always marvel at how God uses simple things to explain the deep. I came away from this experience understanding more about the spiritual principle of truth and perceived reality. Truth is absolute and unchanging but perceived reality is always dependent on the filter through which we view the truth and makes it either of non-effect, or powerfully active.
I came away from that experience praying that God would remove all the filters that serve as strongholds in my life. That He would enable me to see things as they are, and not as they seem to be. And today, I pray the same prayer for you who are reading this article. May the Lord help us all, amen.
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