This past week we discovered an issue with one of my son’s eyesight. It’s not an issue that glasses can correct. Simply put, it’s an issue with alignment. As I began to pray for him with one of my sisters-in-Christ, I realized the prayer to realign my own sight was just as important.
Aligning Sights for Accuracy
In training, combat soldiers are taught how to use both the rear and the front sights on their weapons in order to line up to correctly hit a target. Focusing on one without the other can leave them significantly off the mark. Even as I keep my loved ones — my son in this case — in my sight, I will greatly miss the mark of how to steward him if I don’t take the time to focus on both His needs and the needs of my Savior. Keeping both in sight is more critical than ever.
But what could my Savior need? He owns it all, has it all. What could I possibly give Him? According to Matthew 10, I have to love Him more, much more than my son. While He is completely worthy of that love, from us all, I admit that my sight is not always aligned to hit that mark. I justify my misalignment with the good intention of my heart for my son’s wellbeing. But that’s not the level my Lord wants me to stay at. He desires greater accuracy.
True Alignment
I especially want to speak this to any other mom out there, who, like me, has a hard time resisting going into the overprotective mama-bear mode. And like an actual mama-bear whose cubs are in danger, that mode can make us fierce and big. Big enough to get in the way of all God needs to do. After reading a great article about this on social media recently and seeing all the women who commented, I realized I am not alone in this temptation to keep our sights only focused on what we perceive to be the needs of our children. The fact remains, though, that just like those combat soldiers, we’re going to miss the target of stewarding them well if we don’t focus properly. Without first aligning our hearts to the God who sees it all, we simply can’t have an accurate picture of what our children actually need. Our sight alignment begins with hearts that are focused on God, the only One with a truly clear picture.
His Good Plan
As I lay in bed one night talking to God about my son’s eyes, I believe the Lord responded back. I believe He confirmed that there was a bigger picture that I couldn’t see. How very much like my all-seeing Lord to be gracious enough to tell me that, in His good plan, He is already addressing our sight alignment — both my son’s and mine. And it is good. So good that I believe it might blind me if He just let His full glory pass by.
