Be Thou My Vision

This week I had a cataract removed at the Luverne Hospital. I am grateful that this experience was better than the one I had as a kid when I had my tonsils removed. It was morning when my parents took me up the stairs to the office of Dr. Bofenkamp where he put me on a table and then put a towel with ether on my face. The next thing I knew I was in the car on the way home unable to swallow even though I was promised as much ice cream as I wanted.

Physical sight is important to all of us as we use our eyes every waking minute. Our spiritual sight or vision is even more important. I read this saying: “Poor eyes limit your sight; poor vision limits your deeds.” Cataract surgery should help my physical sight, but what about my spiritual vision. What do we see as important in that area? Am I interested in knowing God’s plan for my life? What is that plan? How do I know if it’s God’s plan? Vision is a discovery of God’s plan as it relates to our life.

I believe the only way to know God’s plan for us is to know God and know of his love for me and his love for the world. Then I look at the gifts he has given me and use those gifts to demonstrate God’s love by showing love for others. Now I know that some of us believe we don’t have gifts. WRONG!! We all have gifts (according to the Bible) and they are not the same. I see so many gifts being used to encourage people and to show the love of Jesus. It may be a goodie made for someone, a card of encouragement, a visit, being a friend, a ride, a word of advice, a hug, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, cleaning at church, caring for someone, sending flowers, praying for someone, making a meal, sitting with someone in silence, being an example, caring for someone who is ill, a phone call, playing a game with someone, making quilts, fixing something, having coffee with someone, helping someone move, a smile, holding a door open, or a hundred different ways we can share God’s love with others. When we share these gifts we demonstrate God’s love—that love shown to us by Jesus as our Savior. Now is a great time to share God’s love.

So seeing is important in a physical sense as well as our spiritual sense. I want to have a vision of what God wants from me and for me. This song shares my vision:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun
Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all

When you think of vision—think of your vision for your life.

George H. Bonnema

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