Jesus said,
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
We do not see the world as it is. We see it as we are. Every moment, you are looking through a lens. If that lens is scratched with resentment, fear, or self-interest, everything you look at will be distorted. If it is healthy, clear, and undivided, your whole inner life is filled with light.
Here is the trouble. You cannot fix your own lens. The lens is you. You cannot stand outside yourself and scrub it clean. The gospel does not hand you a rag and say, “Polish it until you see better.” The gospel gives you a brand new eye, Christ’s own life in you, so you begin to see with His sight.
The clear eye is not you at your best. It is Christ living His life in you. You do not borrow His sight. You share His life. If you are still trying to fix the old you, you are seeing through darkness. When you rest in the truth that it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you, you stop filtering reality through your wounds, fears, or ego. You begin to see through the lens of the One who loves without measure.
When you live out of the old self, you see through the filter of self. You interpret others through your pain, not through truth. That is why the person who constantly notices sin in others is often staring at a reflection of their own heart. And it is why the person who sees love, kindness, and hope everywhere is usually someone grace has already transformed.
Your outlook will always determine your outcome. You cannot carry a sour heart and expect a sweet life. Two people can walk into the same room. One sees warmth and opportunity. The other sees rejection and threat. The room did not change. The lens did.
The clarity of your vision depends on your daily walk with God. If your focus is fixed on Him, listening, trusting, and obeying, your sight stays sharp. Neglect that fellowship, and the lens fogs over quickly. But the moment you turn your eyes back to Him, He begins to restore your vision.
If your heart is out of focus, your eyes will be out of focus, and your whole life will be out of focus. The single eye is a heart fully devoted to Jesus. The evil eye is a divided heart, half for God and half for self, and that will always twist your vision. Wholehearted devotion clears the lens so you see straight and live straight.
Total forgiveness is one of the greatest tests of whether your vision is clear. You have not truly forgiven until you stop bringing the offense up, to them, to others, or to yourself. Until then, the lens is still clouded. Forgiveness wipes away the smear so you can see what God was doing all along. And once the bitterness is gone, you begin to recognize His fingerprints, even in the hurt.
Your lens is also shaped by what you treasure most. Whatever holds first place in your heart will bend how you see reality. If Christ is your treasure, your eye will be clear. If anything else takes that place, you will view life in terms of whether it serves or threatens that idol. You cannot fix this with willpower. The gospel clears the lens by melting your idols with the beauty of Christ until He becomes the One you cannot imagine losing. Only then will your sight be truly single.
Your vision does not just affect you; it also affects those around you. It shapes everyone around you. People tend to catch your outlook. If your lens is clouded with cynicism or fear, it will be evident in your words, tone, and influence. However, if your vision is clear, generous, and rooted in Christ, you will elevate the perspective of those around you.
This is why Scripture says if you lack love, patience, and kindness, it is because you have forgotten that you were purged from your old sins. Forget the cross for you, and you will see the world through suspicion and criticism. Remember what He has done for you, and you will start to see others through the same mercy that found you.
So if the view has been dark lately, do not start by forcing yourself to look on the bright side. Start by letting Jesus remind you how He sees you: clean, righteous, beloved, and worth redeeming. Let His love wash your inner lens. Let total forgiveness sweep away the haze. Let Him become your one treasure. And remember, your vision is contagious. See through Christ’s eyes, and you will help others see through them too.
The world around you does not have to change for your vision to be healed. Let Christ be your lens, and let the Spirit keep it clear; you will be amazed at how bright things become.