When Life Feels Out of Focus

Key Passage: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV)

Key Message: When life's circumstances blur our spiritual vision, God calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus. As we walk by faith, not by sight, He gives us the clarity, peace, and hope to trust His sovereign plan in every season.

Three weeks ago, while writing the proposal for my next Bible study, my vision suddenly became distorted. The words on the screen blurred, like I wasn’t wearing the reading glasses perched on my nose. Assuming it was eye strain, I took a break, but the blurriness remained.

A week and three eye doctor appointments later, I was diagnosed with Epiretinal Membrane (often referred to as a “macular pucker”). I did some quick research and discovered a surgical procedure is available that can correct some of the distortion in my vision, specifically helping with the wavy words I now see when reading a straight line of text, but it cannot completely erase the blurriness.

Not my eyesight, Lord! Reading is my passion and writing is my calling! I was angry. And confused. Everything was lining up perfectly for my “big break” as an author. God brought me a literary agent, plus Christian publishers who are interested in my new Bible study about eight women in the Old Testament (and possibly a series of women’s Bible studies).

God’s plan was as unclear as my eyesight. Why this, in addition to everything else I’m facing right now?!

So much is on our plate as we are being called to make a huge change in our lives. Just prior to the onset of this vision issue, my husband and I made the monumental decision to move to Texas at the end of the summer to be near our daughter (the one battling cancer), who moved there with her family in May. Blurry vision is not conducive to our plans. The timing is horrible (not that there is ever a good time for distorted vision!).

Amid planning to move, teaching summer classes (my “day job”) and consulting myriad eye specialists, I was studying Sabbath rest as part of a Summer Bible study at my church. (Oh, the irony!)

The Priscilla Shirer Bible study, Breathe, is all about making room—creating margins—for God. The Sabbath principle was first introduced on the seventh day of Creation (Genesis 2:2-3), then commanded by God through Moses (Exodus 16:23), and ultimately formalized in a covenant with the Israelites (Exodus 31:16-17).

The Sabbath is a boundary designed by God for us to set aside space and time—press the “pause” button in our overscheduled, hectic lives—to focus on Him.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, the rest of the world should grow dim…blurry. Yet, so often, we let our chaotic circumstances take priority and precedence over our trust in the Lord. Peter provides the perfect illustration for this in Matthew 14:22-33. When Peter stepped out of the boat in faith and locked eyes with Jesus, he walked on water. When Peter’s focus shifted to the strong wind and the waves beneath his feet, he became “terrified” and began to sink.

I’ve been sinking under the weight of my worldly woes, distracted by all the to-dos on my list. In doing so, my spiritual vision became blurry. Jesus faded to the background. My life was out of balance, distorted. Jesus certainly knew how to get my attention! I refused to hit pause, so He did it for me.

I don’t know why God is allowing me to suffer this vision impairment during an already stressful season. But I do know God has “x-ray” vision and a sovereign plan for my life and yours. When we make space for “breathing room” and practice Sabbath rest, spending quality time with our Creator, our perspective shifts away from all that is temporary and back to His permanent plan for us. He gives us spiritual eyes to “see” what our physical eyes cannot.

In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul writes: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” I love the New Living Translation of this verse: “For we live by believing and not by seeing” (emphasis mine).

The passages that precede this verse emphasize the temporal nature of our physical bodies and the broken world around us and reminds us of where our focus should be: in the assurance of our future resurrection with Christ. Until that day, we are to trust in God and His unseen plans rather than relying only on what we can physically see around us.

Through this eye affliction, God is giving me clarity via the gift of spiritual insight—to see with the “eyes of my heart.”

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. (Ephesians 1:18, NIV)

By taking a pause to focus on what really matters—hope in Jesus—I’ve been able to listen more clearly to the voice of my Shepherd who has assured me He will not only provide all I need in this season, but He will also bless me with “double portions,” a Sabbath promise we learned about in the summer study.

When God rained down manna, bread from heaven, to provide sustenance for the newly freed Israelites, He told Moses they were to gather only what they needed for each day. On the sixth day, the one-day portion they gathered would miraculously turn into twice as much so they would have food for the seventh day, during their Sabbath rest (Exodus 16:4).

During God’s “time-out” for me, I am learning to surrender more fully and trust more deeply. I’ve experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God through prayer time with godly women who’ve shared with me “impressions” the Holy Spirit laid on their hearts. We’ve also prayed for miraculous healing, if it’s His will.

And God has given me glimpses of hope for healing. Just yesterday, I consulted with a new retina specialist, who discovered a fast-growing cataract (in addition to confirming the macular pucker) that he believes is causing 90 percent of the blurriness in my right eye. He advised getting cataract surgery before the other eye surgery.

It is clear to me that God’s timing was perfect. Had the previous doctors found and focused on the cataract rather than the membrane scar tissue, they most likely would have recommended a popular new lens procedure that would cause further complications with the sight in my right eye. It’s as if God “blinded” the other doctors to my developing cataract issue, so I could meet with this specialist who also “happens” to be personal friends with the top retina surgeon in…wait for it…Dallas, Texas, where we are moving!

God is so, so good…and faithful!

I don’t know if He will completely heal my eyesight or not. But I know the One who made my eyes, and I will walk by faith regardless of what I can or cannot see.

Dear sisters in Christ, where is your focus in this current season? Are you fixing your eyes on Jesus and trusting Him to provide all you need despite scarcity? Are you resting in His promises and in the hope of Heaven? Or are you focusing on the worldly waves crashing around you, sinking under their weight?

Take time to rest and make space for God to speak and room in your heart to hear what He says. Through Sabbath rest, He will restore, replenish, and refocus you. The Holy Spirit will bring clarity for you to see the world through God’s eyes.

Surrender your plans—your vision of how things should be—and embrace God’s sovereign plan in this and future seasons. Then, pray faithfully and wait expectantly for double-portion miracles in your life.

Resource: Breathe (available on Amazon and Lifeway) is a 5-session Bible study you can do on your own or with a group of friends. The workbook comes with access the videos of Priscilla Shirer’s teaching.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, When life feels out of focus, help me keep my eyes fixed on You. When fear, uncertainty, and endless distractions compete for my attention,

gently draw my heart back to You. Give me the faith to trust Your plan, even when I can't see what You're doing.

As I rest in Your presence, replace my anxiety with Your peace and give me the clarity to see life through Your eyes.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Reflection & Application 

What circumstances or worries are distracting you from fixing your eyes on Jesus, and how is He inviting you to trust Him more deeply in this season?

When was the last time you intentionally paused to rest in God's presence? What might He want to show you if you created more margin to listen for His voice?

Where do you need to walk by faith instead of sight today, believing God's promises even when His plan isn't yet clear?