Color Restored

Last week my sister-in-law Carol had cataract surgery on her left eye. Her lens was replaced with one that will improve her vision for distance, so things that had been fuzzy before are sharp now. But that's not what has overwhelmed her. It is the colors that are vivid and bold, and the brightness of light.

The surgery lasted only a few minutes, she told me, and when she was ushered into the recovery room she was startled by the intensity of the light that shone on her. She assumed she was in the presence of a special lamp to help her in recovery, but there was no such lamp. It was just the normal fluorescent lighting that was used throughout the facility!

Carol has always dressed with a flair. She loves bright colors and wears them with style. But lately her clothes have all been looking faded to her. So have the window coverings in her house. She had decided it was time to replace the kitchen curtains with something that looked bright and fresh, but now that she's had the surgery, the curtains are just fine!

She can hardly comprehend the difference. In the distant past, had I been able to see these amazingly vibrant colors? she said with wonder.

In just a few days she will have the same surgery on her right eye. She is at that point of time when she can close her left eye and view a scene as if she were looking at the dull right side of the flower above, or close her right eye and see the colorful left side of the flower. By this time next week her ability to see color will be fully restored and she will not be able to imagine the monochromatic world she has become so accustomed to.

Isn't spiritual vision like that? The color can go out of our world if we become complacent or cold toward the Lord. What was wondrously bright and beautiful when we first trusted in Christ fades unless we nurture our relationship with Him.

Have you lost your spiritual color vision? Spend time with the Lord. Soak up His word. Echo the psalmist's cry in Psalm 119:18, Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Let Him restore the awe you used to know and you will rediscover the vibrant colors of a life alive with Him.