Presbyopia and Wrinkles

Something occurred to me this morning.  I'm positive that God allows and planned for presbyopia and wrinkles both to begin in middle age for a reason.  

When we become presbyopic (usually around the ages of 42-44), the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus and makes it difficult to see objects up close.  Because of that, we also loose the ability to see our small wrinkles that are beginning to appear.  So it's actually a blessing that we're getting presbyopic!  


Maybe these things haven't happened to you......yet.  But most likely they will.  A year ago I hadn't experienced either of those things, but now here it is.....one year later and I'm dealing with the beginnings of both!


Okay.....let's step away from the physical aspects of getting old and focus on the spiritual for a moment. 


Let's think of it as spiritual presbyopia.  Spiritual presbyopia is a good thing, unlike physical presbyopia that is sometimes a nuisance. In physical presbyopia we find it harder to see things up close.  It's a sign of the maturing (a nice way of saying we're getting old!)  of our eyes.  But assuming we're not also nearsighted or we wear glasses or contacts for our nearsightedness, we are able to see far off.  


As a mature Christian with spiritual presbyopia, isn't that what we strive for? Don't we desire to become less selfish and self-centered.....less looking inward to ourselves and our own desires, but become more interested in what we can do to serve others according to their needs?  Yes.  That is the mark of a mature Christian.....that we're more interested in serving others than we are in serving ourselves.


There's a spiritual side to the wrinkles, too.  Just as we don't want wrinkles on our physical body, the Lord doesn't want wrinkles in His body, either!  But His body is the church, and the wrinkles and blemishes in the church would be much worse than any wrinkle we could have on our physical bodies, wouldn't you agree?  Absolutely they would!

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:27

When I think of the spiritual side of anything that comes up in life, although those things may be bothersome and annoying, in the scope of eternal life - none of those things matter one bit.  It's good to see things in the right perspective and not from my selfish view point.  There's a bigger picture and it's God's plan.  Nothing else matters.  Not even my beginnings of presbyopia and wrinkles.