Seeing Clearly

 

 Bob found the old familiar key on his keychain and slid it into the front lock. “Mom, it’s me,” he yelled as he walked into the house. 

 “I’m in the study,” yelled his mother. “Come on back, I’m almost done.”

 Bob walked down the hallway and stopped at the doorway. There was his mom with her face inches away from the book she was reading. Of course, he recognized the very worn-out Bible his mother was reading. “Hey, Mom, are you ready to go?”

 “Go where?” His mother asked. 

 “To your eye appointment. Remember?”

 “Oh, I don’t know why we have to bother doing that. I can see well enough.”

 “Mom I think a new pair of glasses would help you see things a lot more clearly. I don’t want you to have to put your face so close to the pages. I want you to be able to enjoy reading.”

 “What makes you think I’m not enjoying myself? Maybe I just like being that close to Jesus when He’s talking,” Eleanor said as she smiled 

 Bob chuckled at his mother’s sense of humor. “Come on we are going to be late.”

 A few hours later Bob and Eleanor returned home with a new pair of glasses. “Thanks for taking me today, Bobby. You better get a move on if you want to miss rush hour traffic.”

 “Your right, but I have one more surprise for you.” Bob grabbed a back out of the backseat. “Look inside, Mom. When you were getting your exam, I ran next door to the bookstore and bought you a brand new Bible to go with your new glasses.”

 “Oh, that was very thoughtful of you Bobby. You shouldn’t have spent your money. There’s nothing wrong with my Bible.”

 “I know there’s nothing wrong with it, I just wanted to treat you with a new version. It has nice illustrations in it just like your old one.” Eleanor smiled and tucked her new Bible under her arm as they walked up the front walk.

 A few days later, Bob took out the old familiar key and let himself in the front door again. “Hey, Mom, it’s me.”

 “I’m in the study,” Eleanor yelled. 

 Bob walked back to the study and saw his mom with her face inches from her old Bible again. “Mom, why aren’t you wearing your new glasses?” He glanced around the room and saw the new Bible neatly stacked on top of a pile of books in the corner. 

 “Oh, I have been wearing them. They are good for when I’m watching tv and opening the mail, but I don’t like them when I’m reading the Good Book.”

 “Why not?” Bob asked.

 “Well, I tried them with the new Bible you bought me, but it just wasn’t the same. Now don’t get mad at me, but the illustrations in that new book are all wrong.”

 Bob walked across the room and picked up the new Bible. He thumbed through the pages and then did the same with his Mom’s Bible. “Mom, the pictures look the same. It’s the same Bible, just a newer edition.”

 “No, they are definitely different Bobby. See look at my Bible. Can you see how Jesus is smiling, and look at His eyes. They are so loving in my book”. Eleanor turned the page, “ See how everyone is looking at Him here. Look how happy the people are to just be near Jesus. That’s how I feel too. Now, this other Bible is nice but when I read it with my glasses I noticed Jesus wasn’t smiling like He was in my Bible. Those glasses are good for me to see the world, but when I want to see Jesus speaking to me, I prefer to trust His vision. His vision for me is always clear. I’m better off not being distracted by the wrong details. You know what I mean?”

-Susan