An Eye for Detail by Sheldon Bass

“…We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” (Col 1:9b NIV)

A December appointment with my optometrist became a humbling realization. I have two powder blue shirts exactly the same. I’d wore one of them Thanksgiving day and it was accidentally hung back in my closet with the clean clothes. With less than 20/20 vision, I slipped into the wrong one to wear to the eye doctor. When I saw the world through my new glasses I was amazed at all I’d been missing. My shirt was full of stains that I could not see before.

For a soul to completely understand the depravity and ugliness of sin, they must be viewing it from a righteous vantage point. When a person has been born of the Spirit and clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ, what once appeared not-so-bad, is seen with stark clarity to be deeply egregious. Through the Spirit of wisdom, sin becomes nearly as detestable to the redeemed as it does to God. We begin to gravitate towards the light and away from sin and darkness, because our eyes have been refocused to recognize sin’s ugly corruptive nature.

Born again, we embark upon a love affair with God, and with righteousness.

You and God. Two hearts beating as one.

Praise you Lord, for your grace. And for your wisdom lighting the way and guiding our feet on the narrow path home. We thank you for opening our eyes to hidden sin in our lives. And we praise you for the cleansing power of Jesus’ shed blood. Keep us in your light. And grant us your sensitivity to all ungodliness, amen.

Sheldon Bass, minister and writer. Contact