Hyperopia

I don’t know about you but I love my family. It is perfect. We are all happy, believe in Jesus and have jobs. We have relatives who believe. We have a good church, houses and cars. We live, in the best country in the world and in general love being who we are.

That was a bunch of fluff wasn't it? In my mind it is often the way i think. All things are perfect and wonderful. Everything will turn out good and God is pleased. I wonder how God sees my family? I wonder how many of us are really living for Him and His cause? I wonder how our days are working together for our good and His praise? I wonder.

I tend to prejudice my circumstances and situations in my favor. I do this a lot! I see many faults in others that I overlook in me. I see families who are headed for destruction and can tell way in advance what they need to do to avoid God's judgment. The wayward teen, the loud-mouthed husband and the jealous wife stick out like the proverbial sore thumbs.

How can they be SO blind? Why can't they see what they should do? Why can't they see God’s will for their miserable lives? It doesn't make sense! With my “Perfect glasses” on I see their flaws. They are so obvious. They are so glaring!

Take David’s family for instance! Reading in 2 Samuel 13 is an intro to trouble. It is easy to focus on Amnon and miss the real crux of David’s familial issues. Absalom had a sister. She was beautiful. Amnon loved her so much he literally became lovesick. His “friend” Jonadab had a plan to help Amnon’s illness. Pretend that you are bedridden and grab the girl.

Taking a step back to do some CSI work we observe a dysfunctional family. Absalom, Tamar and Amnon were brothers and sister. Jonadab was a cousin. It seems that their relationship was so twisted that it was as if they were acquaintances rather than blood relatives. Amnon burned with lust for his sister. Jonadab saw no problem in helping Amnon get the girl. When the dastardly deed was finished Tamar was permanently scarred and societally rejected. So the family runs to her aid right? Ah no. Her life is ruined for no fault of her own and NO one, including the king, her daddy David, seems to care. Super dad David had a mess on his hands and couldn’t handle it.

This tragedy boiled for years with no resolution. It didn't go away however. Absalom ends up murdering Amnon. David later blunders again with Absalom and almost ends up as a fatality. Eventually Absalom is murdered and we’re almost happy to see him go. Why? Familial hyperopia. Farsightedness. Blurred vision to things close.

How can I avoid having a family like David’s? Regular glasses won't help. I need God corrective lenses. They come from a daily time in the word then a daily application of the principles that the Spirit teaches me. That process is easy to talk about but hard to put into motion. Trips to the eye doctor aren't that bad. You often leave with weird looking sunglasses. Corrected hyperopia a lot better than fratricide!