Abnormal Vision

We've looked at an abnormal view of Jesus and we've thought about having abnormal focus on our life's purpose. Today I want to investigate abnormal vision. When I talk about vision the first thing I think about is what I see with my eyes. The second thing I think about is looking ahead and having a sense of what is to come. I believe those are fairly normal opinions of the word 'vision'. But since we're being all abnormal and everything this week, what do you say we get a little funky with vision as well?

The abnormal vision I want to talk about is the ability to see God's hand at work around us. I know that in the Old Testament God would show up as a pillar of fire with the big, booming voice and lay it down straight and true. The benefit there being that it pretty much removed the guesswork, didn't it? God would say 'DON'T DO THAT!" leaving no room for gray area. Of course, a lot of people didn't listen anyway...and consequences were handed out all the way around. Then God showed up in human form (that's Jesus for those of you scoring at home) and His gift to those who believe in Him is the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the little white angel that sits on your shoulder and tries to keep you straight. The result, if you take an abnormal view of the world, is that the Spirit prompts us and guides us according to God's will. Soooo...if you open your spiritual eyes and look around, you will see God doing incredible things all around you and (this is my favorite part) through you!

Two days ago in Paris, a mother left her two young children playing in their 7th floor apartment for just a couple of minutes. Obviously not the smartest move, but if you have children you've done something stupid with them at some point. One of the children managed to get out onto the balcony and slip through the railing...and fell 7 stories. And here is where we see God at work. On the sidewalk below, a young boy and his father are walking by and the son happens to see this child about to fall. The doctor runs over to try and catch the child, but the child just happens to fall on an awning just above the street. This softens the boy's fall and allows the doctor an extra second or two to get in position. The doctor catches the child who is remarkably unharmed. Now for the kicker...the awning on the store should have been rolled up (the store was closed) but the mechanism had broken the night before so it was left out.

The lives of several people are forever changed because of these events. Who knows what each of them will go on to do in their lives? The one thing I know for sure is that God was in the middle of every bit of it and there was purpose in it.

You and I have to be abnormal. When we see God at work and seek him with our spiritual eyes then our focus that we talked about yesterday is on Him and not on the world, and when that happens then we are in accordance with His will and ready to be obedient to His calling. Jeremiah says it best:

Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you. -- Jeremiah 25:6

The world, or the norm, is death. Holding dear to the things of the world brings us nothing in the end but harm. Jesus brings life and the only way we find Jesus is when we have a vision of life that's different from the norm.