The Discipline of Daily Vision
Blog / Produced by The High Calling
We live in times of impaired vision. People do not perceive God, because they fail to nurture the skill of looking for and finding Him in everyday life. Alertness to God is a discipline—another word for ongoing prayer.
When Jesus appears in the gospel of John, His first question to His disciples is about vision. And it penetrates us all: “What are you looking for?”
Most of us are looking for more than just getting through the week. Jesus answered his own question by saying to the disciples, “Come and see.” (John 1:39). He invites them into the dailyness of his life to see the divine.
Because Christ is present in life’s most mundane aspects, all that we do is significant. Ministry thus relates to each and every disciple of Jesus Christ in every task—from the CEO of a major corporation to the parent struggling to do the right thing for his or her child.
When God is seen in this comprehensive manner, faithful living is not so easily compartmentalized into a Sunday affair. A Christian disciple is not simply one familiar with the teachings of Jesus. The true disciple also follows Christ throughout the week, looking for opportunities to serve Him in each moment.
To see God in all of life’s dailyness is to also find Him in the painful moments: in making the challenging business decision, in facing a major transition such as a new job or retirement, in worrying how to handle a rebellious adolescent. . . . God longs to be invited into that pain. He knows that much of life depends on our decisions, and He yearns to guide us in all of them.
Impaired vision causes us to miss the truly significant. As Jesus healed a blind man, the man exclaimed, “I can see people, but they look like trees walking” (Mark 8:24). Though the man was no longer blind, he saw people in an impersonal way. Jesus replaced his hands on the man and healed him a second time—so that he could truly see the depths of the human heart.
The story reminds us that the faithful life sees all people as children of God deserving our attention and love. That person before us may be our employee or employer, a stranger, a person we disagree with, a family member. It makes no difference. We are called to stay alert to each human being as a possible revelation of Christ.
Faith is too often viewed as belief in God, right doctrine, or assent to a creed. While belief is important, faith has everything to do with our capacity to see God in our everyday lives. Perceiving God in Sunday worship and in the office or home on Monday as well, has everything to do with faith. Christ invites us to “come and see” Him in our daily lives. To see more clearly creates new windows to serve Christ, to increase in faith, and to see that God is with us now and always.
Questions for discussion:
• How do you cultivate your ability to see Christ? In others? In yourself?
• In what ways do you tend to compartmentalize your spiritual life?
When Jesus appears in the gospel of John, His first question to His disciples is about vision. And it penetrates us all: “What are you looking for?”
Most of us are looking for more than just getting through the week. Jesus answered his own question by saying to the disciples, “Come and see.” (John 1:39). He invites them into the dailyness of his life to see the divine.
Because Christ is present in life’s most mundane aspects, all that we do is significant. Ministry thus relates to each and every disciple of Jesus Christ in every task—from the CEO of a major corporation to the parent struggling to do the right thing for his or her child.
When God is seen in this comprehensive manner, faithful living is not so easily compartmentalized into a Sunday affair. A Christian disciple is not simply one familiar with the teachings of Jesus. The true disciple also follows Christ throughout the week, looking for opportunities to serve Him in each moment.
To see God in all of life’s dailyness is to also find Him in the painful moments: in making the challenging business decision, in facing a major transition such as a new job or retirement, in worrying how to handle a rebellious adolescent. . . . God longs to be invited into that pain. He knows that much of life depends on our decisions, and He yearns to guide us in all of them.
Impaired vision causes us to miss the truly significant. As Jesus healed a blind man, the man exclaimed, “I can see people, but they look like trees walking” (Mark 8:24). Though the man was no longer blind, he saw people in an impersonal way. Jesus replaced his hands on the man and healed him a second time—so that he could truly see the depths of the human heart.
The story reminds us that the faithful life sees all people as children of God deserving our attention and love. That person before us may be our employee or employer, a stranger, a person we disagree with, a family member. It makes no difference. We are called to stay alert to each human being as a possible revelation of Christ.
Faith is too often viewed as belief in God, right doctrine, or assent to a creed. While belief is important, faith has everything to do with our capacity to see God in our everyday lives. Perceiving God in Sunday worship and in the office or home on Monday as well, has everything to do with faith. Christ invites us to “come and see” Him in our daily lives. To see more clearly creates new windows to serve Christ, to increase in faith, and to see that God is with us now and always.
Questions for discussion:
• How do you cultivate your ability to see Christ? In others? In yourself?
• In what ways do you tend to compartmentalize your spiritual life?
Ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right, and workplace ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right at work. For the Christian, this means applying the Bible and other resources of the Christian faith to help decide and do what is ethical or moral at work.