Monday, February 29

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 NRSV

When I was in my early thirties, I was the legal guardian for a young man named Paul, between his 8th and 12th year's. It was simply one of the best and most enjoyable parts of my life. Anyway, when we started I remember going to the grocery store with Paul and looking for milk. Paul couldn't find it. Understanding why is the beginning of what this devotional is about.

Paul was extremely smart, not the problem, but after talking with another friend I realized that he needed to have some cues in figuring out what to look for. The problem was quickly rectified as I changed the lens I used for understanding what being sighted was all about, and Paul learned to work at finding milk by making adjustments to his lens. We were able to find milk and lots of other things together as we continued to refine our lenses together.

Our lenses help us understand the world. Unfortunately, one myth we work with is that lenses aren’t needed to see clearly. That doesn't work, we need to know what to look for, like Paul did when looking for the milk. We need lenses because there is so much out there that it is hard to sort through. We can't sort it out without a functioning lens. Lenses, especially properly attuned lenses, help us see the world: what is most important now and what to not see now but maybe later. So, if we have a lens, why not learn how to use it well.

Psalm 136 is a great place to start. Again and again it says that no matter what, God's steadfast love endures forever. What a great place to start attuning your lens. If you look for it I know you'll see examples of God's steadfast love. Just keep working with your lens and you'll see it as well.

Gracious God: help us to see the many signs of your enduring and steadfast love. In seeing it may we pass it on to others through our words and actions, and in passing it on may we be transformed into steadfastly loving people. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

Terry Chaney

Editor’s Note: Terry has been blind since birth.