The first sign of trouble came when I was 22 years of age. This was in an era before the

invention of smart phones and GPS devices. I was driving through St. Charles, Missouri,

following a set of written directions, searching for an address I had not previously visited. As I

tried to read the street signs, it seemed to me the street-sign makers had erred. Either they had

used lettering that was too small for its purpose, or they had not been very neat in defining the

edges of the letters. In either case, the signs were blurry and hard to read. I found myself

questioning the competency of a group of sign makers I had never met.

After missing my turn, I commented to the other passengers in the car “You would think

a community like St. Charles would have better quality street signs”. The laughter that

accompanied their “What?” response suggested that the problem may not lie with the sign

makers, but with the sign reader.

The next Saturday I found myself seated in an optometrist’s examining chair for the first

time in my life. The verdict was the one I had feared, Myopia. I had developed nearsightedness.

I would soon be joining countless Americans who view the world through ground glass on a

daily basis.

I returned a few days later to pick up my first-ever pair of prescription glasses. Not until

I stepped outside the door with my new eye-wear did I realize just how much I had been missing.

Distant objects which I had long accepted as naturally fuzzy and blurred, now stood out in sharp

contrast from their surroundings. As I walked along my side of the street I was suddenly able to

recognize the people on the opposite sidewalk. And, not surprisingly, the next time I was in St.

Charles I was able to appreciate the quality of workmanship that had gone into the street signs of

that historic community.

Perhaps you have experienced first-hand the frustrations of myopia. It’s no fun having

to depend on two little circles of glass (or light-weight acrylic) to be able to navigate your way

safely through this world. But thankfully, for most sufferers, myopia is a treatable condition.

From time to time I have experienced another type of nearsightedness that is even more

threatening. It is both harder to detect, and harder to treat. Often the hardest thing about it is our

unwillingness to recognize that the problem even exists.

The problem I refer to is not ocular in nature, but spiritual. It is a nearsightedness of the

soul. It causes men and women, both young and not-so-young, to see the world in a distorted

way. It blinds us to the sin that is in our lives, clouds the distinction between truth and

falsehood, and obscures our perception of God’s purpose for our lives.

Peter addresses the problem in the first chapter of his second epistle. In verses 5 - 7 he

shares the secret to avoiding problems with our spiritual acuity - we need to intentionally

develop faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness,

and love.

Then, in verse 9 he hands his diagnosis to those who lack these essential qualities “But if

anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been

cleansed from his past sins.” (II Peter 1:9)

When my vision was tested and found wanting many years ago, my optometrist was able

to provide corrective lenses that resolved my nearsightedness. Today, like millions of

Americans, I have a checkup every year to be sure my current lenses are still doing the job. My

optometrist even sends a friendly reminder each year to let me know it is time to schedule an

appointment.

In verses 12 through 15 Peter explains that until his dying day he will continue to remind

his readers of the importance of carrying out frequent evaluations, to make sure our spiritual

vision remains sharp and clear:

“I will always remind you of these things (Vs. 12)........I think it is right to refresh your

memory as long as I live in the tent of this body (Vs. 13).........I will make every effort to

see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things (Vs. 15).

How’s your spiritual vision? Are you seeing your life and your relationship to Christ

with 20/20 vision? Or, is it time for a check-up? If so, may I suggest that you look at the eye

chart in II Peter 1:5-11, and begin reading from top to bottom.