 I always get farsighted and nearsighted confused. I think it's because I've been both at different times in my lives. In first grade I got my first pair of glasses because I couldn't read close up (farsighted) but by the 4th grade my eyes had changed so much I couldn't read a word on the chalkboard (nearsighted). My husband is farsighted in life. Not his eyes, his whole life--he loves thinking and planning about the future. He sees 30 years from now almost more clearly than he sees 30 minutes from now. I want to be like him sometimes. I get caught up in the urgent and mommy-my-finger-hurts-now and forget (or choose to forget?) the big things that God has for me, the important calling He has on my life. In Upside Down Prayers for Parents, Lisa Tawn Bergren (one of my heroes) prays that her children would be "farsighted--able to see where our God is leading us." For each of us this leading may look different---but it's also the same---God is calling us as Matthew 28 says to "make disciples". Making disciples might seem like something too far away to even think about seeing. Maybe your circumstances (job, age, stage of life, finances or fill-in-the-blank!) keep you from using our "beautiful feet" (Romans 10:15) to go into all the world. Or maybe you are in another part of the world and are feeling like your feet aren't doing much--that they aren't beautiful at all. Sometimes the thought of making disciples and reaching the far corners of the earth is overwhelming. It seems too big and bright to even look at--close up or far away! Instead of the sense of sight, let's talk about the sense of smell. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, Paul writes, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing," (emphasis mine) Did you see it? We are a fragrance of the knowledge of Christ! We are an aroma of Christ! And even more than that Christ himself leads us and spreads the fragrance! Christ leads and we get to simply follow. As we use our eyes to stay focused on Him (whether farsighted or nearsighted) the world will be attracted to the fragrance and aroma of Christ surrounding us and spreading throughout the world. Family idea: Grab all the yummy smelling lotions you can find in your bathroom cupboards. Let your kids choose one or two to rub on their hands and feet. Talk about how when we walk by other people, they will notice the aroma we're wearing. Explain that we want our lives to be a lovely aroma pointing people to Christ. Our "beautiful feet" can also have a beautiful smell!  About Amanda  Amanda White is a stay-at-home mom of two who blogs at ohAmanda.com and is the author of Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. In her former life, Amanda was a Children’s Pastor — overseeing, organizing and developing ministry for kids in nursery through middle school, but now that she is a mom, her “skills” are used up on her kids!
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