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Sorting Out Vision; Guest Post

10/3/2012

4 Comments

 
I am honored to have Tanya share her heart and wisdom with us. I appreciate her deep love for the Lord and desire to live for Him with everything she has and is. 

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Tanya Marlow was formerly in Christian ministry for a decade and was Associate Director and lecturer for a university-level Bible training course. Now she reads Bible stories to her toddler as she learns what it means to be a mum who is housebound with an autoimmune illness. She blogs at Thorns and Gold, on the Bible, Suffering, and the messy edges of life. Follow Tanya on Twitter and visit and like her Facebook page.

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I have worn glasses since I was four. Back then, they were a National Health Service (UK) cheapy-cheap granny-pink colour.

I'm not going to lie - they did not look good. But they were essential, because I really was as blind as a bat.

Every morning I wake up and I look around at blurry, indistinct shapes. If I take my glasses off and look at the screen I can't see any letters at all. It looks mysterious and squiggly, like an Arabic script. (It's quite fun to try it if you are similarly short-sighted!)

I need help seeing physically. But sometimes we also need help seeing spiritually. And Paul is a great person to learn from.

Paul, in Acts 17:16, had just come from a fairly traumatic time, being chased out of Thessalonica and then Berea, and separated from his friends, Silas and Timothy. He was left in Athens to wait for them.

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens..." (Acts 17:16a)

I don't know about you, but if I were Paul, I would have been tempted to just enjoy the unexpected holiday. He was in Athens, seat of culture and philosophical sophistication.

I lived in Oxford, England for 6 years, and I imagine Athens at that time to be very similar to Oxford. There are historic buildings everywhere, and awesome libraries, and every coffee shop you enter you can hear the buzz of students discussing politics and religion and the meaning of life. The ratio of discussions of mathematical theorems to gossip about boys and lipstick is a pretty high one.

I loved living in Oxford as a student minister, but I was also often intimidated by it. What on earth did I have to offer these students, who were so intelligent? How on earth could I begin to communicate their need for Christ when they seemed so sorted and to have everything they needed? 

If I had been in Athens, I think this is what I would have seen. I would have seen the excitement of being in a new place. I would have been wowed by the culture. I would have seen the things that would have intimidated me and kept me silent. I would have seen the chance to relax and have a break.

But Paul has 20:20 spiritual vision. He didn't see these things: he saw something else.

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." (Acts 17:16 NIV)

Where I would see culture and sophistication, Paul saw idols. Paul saw spiritual need. Paul saw a people who were built for worship, but were grasping for God in the wrong places. He saw, and he felt distressed - and so he spoke.

In order to get confident about sharing the good news of Jesus with others, we need to first sort out our vision, not our words. We need to see the glory of God, and feel the distress of our campuses, cities and nations being so full of idols. We need to pray to God for spiritual clarity, to see past the differences of culture, the obstacles to faith, to see with His eyes.

Over to you:
  • Is your spiritual eyesight more like mine or like Paul's?
  • How does your spiritual eyesight need to change?

Photo credit
4 Comments
Mia link
10/3/2012 09:52:20 pm

Hi Tanya
I am one of those taking-a-break kind of people (although Fm/ME has forced me to be on a sort of semi.-retirement compulsory break). I know if I do not ask our Pappa to allow me to see with His eyes, to hear with His ears and to think as He does daily, I am in big trouble.
Blessings, my fellow suffering friend

Reply
Tanya Marlow link
10/3/2012 11:00:00 pm

Mia - I definitely see you as someone who sees with God's eyes - it's beautiful!

Reply
Joy Lenton
10/4/2012 12:38:57 am

Hi Tanya
You have certainly opened our eyes to the need for sensitivity and understanding toward the pain of society around us. It is so important for our deeds and actions to speak louder than our words as words alone can sound empty, hollow or trite. God's love and compassion have to be demonstrated to be believed. When people 'see' Jesus in us then we may earn the right to tell them about Him too.

Reply
Tanya Marlow link
10/4/2012 05:07:51 pm

I just love how you express this - this is so much on my heart and you write it perfectly. We need to see, and feel, and act out of that - and our words heralding the gospel, vital as they are, always need to come out of that heart and a life lived with Jesus. Thank you.

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  • Home
    • Ministry Resources for Women >
      • Beholding Him Freebie
    • Contributors
    • Statement of Faith
  • Blog
    • Ministry >
      • Evangelism {Win}
      • Discipleship {Build}
      • Living Missionally {Send}
    • God's Word >
      • Bible Study
      • Prayer
      • Devotionals
      • Bible Studies
      • Apologetics
    • Relationships >
      • Marriage
      • Singleness
      • Dating
      • Family
      • Friendship
    • World >
      • Social Justice Issues
      • Internet & Social Media
      • Politics
      • International
      • Science Revealing God
    • Life >
      • Image & Idenity
      • Health
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Organization
  • Bible Study Resources
  • Prints
  • Stickers
  • Quiet Time Journals
  • Courses
    • Discover God's Calling
    • Women's Ministry Training Promo
    • How to Study the Bible
    • Women's Ministry Training Course
    • Growing in Your Faith Mini Course
  • Retreat
  • Video Bible Studies
    • Matthew
    • John
    • Galatians
    • Philippians
    • Know your Purpose
    • Creation Reveals
    • Ministry
    • Heart Growth
  • You Are Unshaken Book
    • Unshaken Groups
    • You Are Unshaken Paint Party
    • Unshaken Freebies
  • Shop