I have worn corrective lenses since I was 13 years old. I remember at the time that I didn’t really think I needed glasses, until I went to the eye doctor and saw how well I could see with glasses. The same thing happened to me today.

I wear Acuvue Oasys contact lenses. These are the kind you can leave in for two weeks, then take them out, throw them away, and put in a new pair. Twice a month I have to mess with my contacts, and I have 20/20 vision as a result, with no fuss the other 26 days. I can always tell when it is time to change my contacts, because they start getting dirty and things get blurry. It’s kind of unpleasant to poke my finger into my eye a few days a month, but it’s worth it for the clarity of vision.

One day last week, I changed my contacts and went to work. I didn’t notice that there was a problem with my vision at first. Things were slightly blurry, but I didn’t think it was a problem, since my eyes were accustomed to the old, blurry contacts I had been wearing.

Today I tried to read some small text at a distance (like the title of a book from several feet away). Normally I have no trouble, but today I couldn’t make out the writing. So I took my left contact out (my “dominant eye”) and put in a new one.

It was like someone turned on the lights! Everything is sharper, clearer, and easier to see. I think there’s a problem with the old contact lens, and I’m going to try to get some credit for it, but for now I’m just glad that I can see well again.

As humans, we get used to “the way things are.” We don’t like change, because we fear the unknown. When God puts something in our lives to carry out His plan, and to make us into the people He wants us to be, it isn’t always a fun process. It doesn’t always seem like a “good thing” at first. It is only later that we are able to see how truly good He is (and was at the time, though we did not realize it). It is only when our vision is clear that we can see the goodness of His plan.

Maybe you are going through a trial. Maybe someone close to you has died, you have a serious illness, financial difficulties, or some other problem. It may not seem like it right now, but someday you will praise God for His wisdom and goodness. This doesn’t seem possible to you today, but that’s because you have blurry vision. Your vision is blurry now, but one day soon God will remove the scales and you will be able to see clearly. The pain will ease, the problems will disappear, and then we will have perfect vision, just like Christ.

I John 3:2

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.