Listen to today’s devo!

For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 2:21)

Expanded Passage: Philippians 2:19-21

I don’t know how long I suffered from nearsightedness as a child before I was diagnosed with astigmatism. I do know I suspected something was wrong with my vision long before I told my parents about it. No one in my immediate family needed corrective lenses, so eye problems were simply off our radar. However, by age twelve I finally confessed to my mom that I could barely see past my nose. Mom scheduled an appointment with an eye doctor, and I was fitted for glasses.

I had to wait two weeks for the glasses to arrive, however. Strangely, I felt more blind during that time than ever before. I couldn’t imagine how I had managed for so long with such poor vision! When I finally received my prescription glasses, I stared around me—astounded—at the crisp, clear, beautiful world that had been there all along.

We are all born with a kind of spiritual nearsightedness—an inability to see beyond ourselves and our own needs or pain. Alexandre Dumas noted in The Count of Monte Cristo, “That is one of the proud conceits of our poor humanity; every one thinks himself more wretched than another unfortunate who weeps and groans at his side.” Even Christians can miss out on seeing the bigger picture unless they allow God to correct and expand their vision beyond themselves.

Ask God to expand your vision and help you see life clearly.

Laura Hurd is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and co-pastors with her husband, Jason, in northwestern Nebraska. She enjoys rural life, reading, and road trips.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.