A Spiritual Eye Exam

This week my kids traded their flip flops, beach towels, and swimsuits for tennis shoes, backpacks, and sweatshirts (it was cold!). Back to the school routine for all of us. I spent eight hours on paperwork, staring at a computer screen, and realized my eyes aren’t what they used to be—by the end of the day the letters were a blur.

It made me think about another kind of eyesight.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness….”—Matthew 6:22–23 (NIV)

Just before these verses, Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth but to store up treasures in heaven. He then focuses on the eye as the “lamp of the body.” A healthy eye in His day meant a generous, undivided focus—a way of looking at the world that was simple, content, and loyal to God. An unhealthy eye, on the other hand, was stingy, greedy, and darkened by the pull of earthly treasure.

That makes me wonder: what shape are my spiritual eyes in? Am I seeing with generosity and single-mindedness toward God—or with distraction, comparison, and grasping for more?

Just like my physical eyes need care—bigger fonts, screen breaks, maybe even a pair of readers—my spiritual eyes need regular checkups too. That means taking time to ask: Where am I focusing? What am I treasuring?

This new school season is a perfect time for a spiritual eye exam. When my eyes are healthy, my whole life is filled with God’s light.

Prayer:

God, help me see clearly. Heal my spiritual eyes so they are fixed on You—generous, focused, and full of light.