PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

July 24, 2022

CLEAN WINDOWS

Recently, we had our windows professionally cleaned.  In the past, we had performed the task ourselves, but never to the extent of the three person crew that we hired.  We have several windows that are double-paned, some with blinds between the panes.  The cleaners took all of them apart and cleaned both sides as well as the blinds.  They removed a variety of stains that had accumulated on the windows over the years.

When they were finished, we were astonished at the results.  Our rooms were brighter, the images outside were sharper, and our view was sharper.  Our patio door was so clean that it seemed to have disappeared and Diane walked into it thinking that the door was open!  When we saw the results, we got ourselves on the Nikki Hamman’s schedule for next year.

A number of years ago I had my first cataract surgery.  As I was eating the croissant and applesauce which Grossnickle provided, I glanced up at the clock. I was shocked that even before my eye had had time to completely adjust to the surgery, my vision had greatly improved, my vision was sharper, and everything looked brighter.

I had not realized just how bad my vision had become until I had the surgery.  My degraded vision had happened over a long period of time and I had not noticed it taking place.  The windows in our house did not get dirty overnight.  It was a slow process.  With both my eyesight and the windows I had become comfortable with the status quo.

In the gospels there are a number of stories of Jesus healing people who are blind.  One takes place in Bethsaida.  “He (Jesus) took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’  And the man looked up and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.’ (Mark 8:23-25)

Jesus also reminds us that people can be blind in other areas than their eyesight.  Several times he enjoins his listeners to have the eyes to see what is taking place around them.  Very often this is in reference to God being at work.  All of us become accustomed to the status quo.  It is easy to be unaware of deteriorating conditions, especially when they are happening gradually.  We do not realize just how bad conditions have become until something dramatic happens.  A worn tire goes flat, something breaks, or a roof begins to leak.  We have not been paying attention to what is taking place around us.

How can we have the eyes to see what is taking place around?  In the case of our windows, we have scheduled our cleaners to come back in a year assuming that our windows will need a cleaning.  I caught the need to have eye surgery by regular visits to an eye doctor.  There are many areas of our life where we can assume that slow changes will take place over time to which we should give attention.  There are all kinds of check-list that can be of help to identify such changes.  A new set of eyes can be helpful to identify the cases which we have failed to observe.

In the story of the man Jesus healed near Bethsaida, it says that when his sight is restored he could see everything clearly.  After our windows had a professional cleaning, we could see everything outside and inside clearly.  What might you do in your life to clear away the fog and haze of change so that you might see more clearly?