Yesterday we had to drive into Salt Lake because I had another appointment.  This time to follow up with the neuro-opthomologist I saw a year ago.  I had this follow up because after my video EEG we thought some of my symptoms might be pressure related since I have all kinds of strange things that happen with my vision, like tracking.

Well during my vision exams the discovery was made that it was not pressure, but extreme light sensitivity.  He called it migraines because it causes a litany of symptoms including sound and smell sensitivity-wow that describes me!  I finally discovered the truth about my symptoms.  Since this is what is causing all of my vision symptoms he had a treatment that should take them away.  Glasses with a special tint that reduce the eyes sensitivity to light.

Now, I have never needed glasses, and actually have better then 20/20 vision!  Discovering I needed to wear glasses, not for correction, but for this, was rather unnerving.  After the visit we went and purchased 2 pair of frames that will have uncorrected lenses put in them.  When they are ready we will return to the Moran Eye Center to have the tint put on.

This got me thinking, there really are two forms of light sensitivity.  Vision and spiritual.  There are many out there that are sensitive to the Light Of The World, causing them to shield their eyes and avoid it, much like visual light sensitivity causes people to avoid flickering light and bright sunshine.  This sensitivity exists because the enemy desires that they be blinded from the truth so they never experience the fullness of the gospel.  2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us this “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Does this knowledge give us excuse to not share The Light?  Certainly it does not!  Visual light sensitivity simply needs correction, and so it is with spiritual light sensitivity.  Just as it took time for me to discover that I was sensitive to light, it will take some time for them to discover they are sensitive to the Light Of  The World, causing their inability to see the truth.  If we give up and stop showing them the light, then we are allowing the enemy to keep them in the dark, hiding from the Light.  We must be diligent in sharing the Light so they will not remain in darkness and will have the opportunity to discover the truth about their condition.

Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

Marveling at God’s creation is something we should all do more often.  Having returned from my trip to Alaska I realized that I was in awe of what I had seen while there, but often lose that awe in my normal routine.  I saw some truly amazing things on this trip and was blown away by the beauty around me the whole time.

I was privileged to witness caribou in fields in Canada, to see porpoises jumping and leaping out of the ocean, to see seals lounging on an iceberg, and whales swimming through the Pacific, and to see the majesty of the bald eagle souring right over my head.  I saw landscape that was green everywhere.  The flowers that grew were of every color of the rainbow, and the mountains were sculpted in amazing ways.  I was near glaciers that have been there for centuries, and heard them crack so loudly it reminded me of the bigness of God’s creation.

Then I returned home to see what I see every day, but hadn’t seen for 12 days  I thought to myself “why am I not in awe of this?”  I wondered what it was that makes me marvel at God’s creation in what I see every day.  Where I live is mostly brown, it is dry, and it is empty.  Yet just a few miles away the mountains tower above that.  In the midst of it animals and insects live despite the dryness.  The sunsets are sometimes beautiful, with colors of red orange and yellow.  The birds that flock to this place sing melodies that sound glorious.   Yet I lose the wonder of that caught up in my everyday routine.

God’s creation is amazing, and how many of us forget to marvel at it every day?  To marvel at the fact that He provided everything we need when He made it.  Do we forget to marvel at the uniqueness in what He made, how each creature is unique and serves it’s purpose in His creation?  Do we remember to look at the people around us and praise God for forming them?  God’s creativity alone is something to marvel at.  After being in Alaska and marveling at what I saw I realized I do not marvel often enough at what He has created.  When was the last time you just stood and looked at part of His creation in shear wonderment?  Find something today you can marvel at, for it reminds us that God’s hand is in everything and causes us to worship Him.

Today will be the first official day of my vacation!  I am heading off to go on a cruise with my step mom and step sister to Alaska.  Alaska has been on my list of places to see for years and when we talked about going on a cruise together this was the obvious choice.  Originally it was suppose to include my sister and my brothers wife, but for various reasons neither one of them could come with us.  So today I go to Salt Lake to spend the next ocuple of nights, then Saturday I fly out to Seattle.

On Thursday night while I am in Salt Lake I will attend a dance recital in which 4 of my nieces will play roles.  My husbands oldest niece, who is 16, has been asking for some time for us to see her dance, and I am excited that I finally get to do that.  Seeing another person do what they love is always a joy because their excitement and joy is contagious.  It is never possible to see someone get so much joy out of something and not smile.

So it is with God when He has given us a passion for something and we act on that passion.  He is pleased and joyful when we are doing what He has asked of us.  Not only that, it gives Him honor because we have given proper place in our life to what He has asked of us.  When do what God has asked of us others also see us take part in what we have a passion for and that allows them to take part in the joy we have, for that kind of joy is contagious.

So Thursday night I will have the opportunity to share in the joy that my niece gets when she is doing something God has given her a passion for.  That kind of joy can’t be replaced, for the best source of joy is in the Lord and knowing He is pleased with us.  When we have a passion for something the Lord has asked us to do, and we act on that, the joy we receive is often more then we expected, for we cannot comprehend the extend of the Lord’s pleasure in our obedience.  So I will continue to do what the Lord asks of me so that I can not only experience that joy, but share it with others.  This week while I am gone I will love well, and take advantage of the opportunities the Lord gives me to experience that kind of joy.