My wonderful Bible study group had quite a laugh when my good friend Katie shared her story. She had begun having terrible headaches a couple of weeks earlier and was quite concerned because they had come on suddenly. The headaches would begin shortly after getting to work and would increase in intensity throughout the day. She believed it had something to do with her eyes even though she’d recently had them checked. She finally made another appointment with her vision care provider. Each day prior to her appointment things worsened and she became more and more concerned as did her husband. Something was seriously wrong. The day before her appointment she was getting ready for work and spotted a pair of glasses in an unusual place in her bathroom. She pulled off the glasses she had on only to discover that for two weeks she had been wearing her son’s glasses instead of her own! The frames were similar enough no one noticed the difference and her son hadn’t said a word (he had switched to contacts). Only her eyes had figured things out! The prescription wasn’t working, thus the severe headaches.
It was a funny story but at the same time illustrated how seeing through someone else’s eyes isn’t always the best plan. When it comes to faith, we need our own prescription so to speak. We can’t use our parent’s or our pastor’s or our best friend’s. If we can’t stand on our own and defend what we truly believe deep in our own heart and soul, we are going to be susceptible to some pretty horrendous headaches.
You can’t always rely on someone else’s answers to pass a test! The foundations of our faith are what get us through. My ability to weather a storm comes from the experiences I’ve had surviving smaller storms and the repeated assurance that it was God who got me through. He doesn’t apply the same prescription to my situation that He does to another person’s. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all-crisis. Every solution and every assist He offers is unique and individualized.
Reading God’s word brings new thoughts and ideas that I’m going to need at some point. If I only let others tell me what they read, I’m not giving myself the opportunity to allow God to speak to me personally and prepare me for the road ahead.
When I study the Bible I get inside the characters and the stories. If I just listen to someone else retell the stories I might miss key points that are there just for my instruction. I’m influenced by their voice not His.
If I sit back and bask in the retelling of another person’s great Sunday morning worship experience, I miss out on the soul stirring music, the heart healing testimonies, the life lifting messages. I only get the fringe benefit. It won’t be enough when I have to withdraw a big measure of strength and courage.
As a writer let’s just say I need a first person faith. A third person point of view just doesn’t cut it. God has prescribed for me a specific lens through which I will be able to see His hand on my life. I need to make sure I’m wearing my own glasses. (Of course, cute frames are an added asset!)
