Making progress

There is progress on the pathway to healing my vision. My followup for cataract surgery this week with my ophthalmologic surgeon was promising. The exam showed I need an unusual prescription for computer and reading glasses but being different is the norm for me.

I wonder sometimes why my life takes twists and turns but I realize that it is true of everyone. My pastor once described the pathway of the righteous as a wandering trail, following different rocks, some to be stepped on, others to be walked around, but rarely a straight line between two locations. It’s like a mountain trail that I’ve hiked in the Smoky Mountains. To get to the scenic point you literally go over the river and through the woods plus across ravines, around and over hills, between huge trees before you get to the lookout. Sometimes it’s a loop back to the parking lot; other times you just turn around and walk the trail backwards. And backwards has different challenges as you are usually going downhill which is sometimes more difficult than uphill.

Some days I just want to escape from all the decision making that’s required of me just now. Escaping into a book or movie seems to work but most of the time, my brain doesn’t actually turn off and I continue to mull the issues. That’s when the habit of praying continuously benefits me most.

Living in the Cleft for Life means I’m never separated from the God who loves me more than life and His comforting presence is where I turn for rest. I once thought as some of you may that prayer was a once-a-day ritual. Instead, for a long time now, prayer constitutes a continual process for me, much like breathing, and almost as automatic. I often breathe out “Oh Father” and the Holy Spirit’s presence reassures me of His never-ending interest in me, my concerns, my life, and my world. I matter to Him and so do you. Psalm 16 tells us that in His presence there is fullness of joy. I would add peace.

So I am still on the path of healing my vision. I’m thinking that it’s not just about my physical vision but that my vision for my life needs to be given a tune-up and that is what He is about in this season of change.