The human eye is amazingly complex. Charles Darwin, in his Origin of Species[i], claimed something so detailed and flawless as the human eye to have been developed by natural selection seemed highly absurd. The complexities of the eye are why retinal scans are increasingly being used because an iris has 256 unique characteristics, whereas a fingerprint only has 40. The retina’s unique pattern of blood vessels isn’t even the same in identical twins.
The human eye can a resolution of 576 megapixels compared to the 7 megapixels of the iPhone 7, according to scientist Dr. Rodger Clark, and the average eye can see a million colors and over 100 different shades. Even with all this detail and remarkable intricacies, there is still a broader perspective we often overlook.
Sight is what you can see with your eyes open. Vision is what you see with your eyes closed. – Pastor Devon Frye
The New Year is a time when we pause and try to gain a bigger picture. The planners of us set-out their resolutions for 2020. Businesses strategize over hiring needs, financial budgets, and profit trends. Those of us hoping to shed a few pounds resolve to head to the gym or pass on sweets.
How many of us set our resolutions on a whim? I admit I’ve done it, until a few years ago, a friend of mine had our small group type out our goals for the year—the first and foremost being a spiritual goal. It gave me pause. Here I thought I could jot down a few quick aspirations, but why hadn’t I asked God what His plans were for me? Where was God trying to grow me? To whom was He calling me to reach?
Walt Disney looked at a swamp and saw the world’s greatest theme park.
What potential does God see within you that you may not see yourself? Inviting God into your plans can rock your world. The first thing I realized is that His vision is bigger and reaches farther than I could ever imagine. My sight is limited, but God’s is unlimited. Some of God’s goals for me seemed insurmountable like writing a book. Others were small, like checking in on some friends he brought to my mind. However, at the end of the year, when we sat down to review our goals, I got to see how God stretched me and how a goal I thought was insignificant extended from a ripple into a massive wave.
I’ve struggled with doubts about not being able to meet expectations. In the past, I’ve skipped setting goals because it was difficult to face not hitting them, or I set easy ones so I could check the box. But our God isn’t a God of the mediocre. He isn’t into settling. He says in Isaiah 43: 18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
There were some goals I didn’t accomplish, but God gave me grace and reminded me of Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” The following year I hit that goal and then some.
Now is a great time to ask God into your plans. Pray. Ask Him to show you His aspirations for you in 2020.
How is God going to grow you in 2020?
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[i] Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle For Life (New York: The Modern Library, 1993), p. 227.
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