Carol J German

As we journey past the holidays into a new year, let’s leave no stone unturned in our lives by seeking to gain 2020 vision. When we choose to see Truth, there is no need for rose-colored glasses. We don’t need to don sunglasses to hide behind or wear contacts to see what we want to see. God desires us to go to Him for we need new eyesight. He wants us to grow up and flourish, like flowers in a garden. As we sprout upwards, we become what this world needs. We are vital to His plan. Do you realize that God needs you? He needs you to be you. We have all been selected by the hand of God to make a difference in 2020. It’s time to remove our blinders and walk in the newness that God has for us.

Let’s jump in with both feet and continue studying His amazing Word. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Listen for that peaceful voice and ask God to give you a thirst for Him as you give Him full access to your life. Don’t be shy or scared, remember what we have been learning. God will meet each of us with unconditional love and grace. There will be no condemnation or ridicule from your Father. You may have been beat up by others but you will not receive unfair, ill-treatment from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Today we are reading John 6:16-21. Let’s see what we can learn from these six verses. Before Christmas, we discovered how compassionate God is towards us and how He cares about our every need. He was able to take our small offerings and transform them into a great feast, one that fed thousands of people.

After tending to the hunger of His people, Jesus retreated to the hills to be by Himself; read John 6:15. The disciples headed down to the lake and waited for Jesus. Jesus made it a habit to go off by Himself and pray to His Father often.

INSIGHT: If Jesus retreated for alone time, we must too. We are not made to always be doing or working. We are not made for fun, fun, fun either. We are made to be in His Presence. I want you to take some time, get quiet and look up Psalm 46:10. Study about two sisters in Luke 10:38-42. See how God ministers to Moses in Exodus 33:12-23. Downtime is good, for many reasons.

Evening set in so the disciples got in their boat and crossed the lake. We read how life can become tumultuous in a flash. A storm swept down upon them. Isn’t this how life is? One moment can be good and the next can knock us over.

QUESTION: What kind of storm is tossing you around which causes fear, anxiety, frustration? What situation is causing your insecurities to flare up?

QUESTION: How do you handle disruptions? Do you put on your rose-colored glasses to keep the image you work so hard at maintaining or like me, I don my sunglasses and hide? How about remaining conspicuous and wear contacts? No one can see who you really are.

Like I said, we need 2020 vision and God is the only one who can give it to us. Would you believe that every circumstance that you face, Jesus sees you and He is fighting valiantly for you to overcome that battle? What we need to understand is that we need to do our part.

QUESTION: Are you willing to change? Do you desire to want more? Have you reached a point where everything you do just doesn’t seem to make a difference? Ready to quit? Frustrated enough?

INSIGHT: If you answered yes to any of the questions, my friend, you are in a great place! Before you, God has placed a welcome mat and it lays before a door. This door, though, opens backwards. Go to Revelation 3:20 to see why. Who is knocking? Who is opening the door?

Reread verses 19-21. We see how Jesus is with us in every situation we find ourselves in. What can we learn from these verses? First, we see Jesus walking on the water to His followers. Nothing in this world is too big for Him to handle! He has control over all things, in the heavens and on earth. For the disciples, this terrified them. I am sure they thought they were seeing a ghost. Our human reasoning can be a stumbling block to seeing spiritual things. This is why we need 2020 vision.

Second, in the midst of their despair Jesus calls out to them.

QUESTION: What does He tell them in verse 20?

Not only did Jesus encourage them but He gave them His very self! My friends, don’t miss this! His Presence is what they needed and its the same with us! This is the beauty of Jesus’ love. He gives Himself to each one of us.

INSIGHT: Don’t we downplay God? In our distorted vision, we keep God high above us and we treat Him like a genie. When life is good, we walk in self-confidence because of our hard work and goodness. We earned it. Do we dare admit that we are entitled? When life sours, we put on some sort of vision wear to deal with whatever we have to face. After awhile, we ask God for help and hope He removes the issue that is disturbing our “fat, dumb and happy” existence.

“Lord, please forgive us. We desperately need you to change us!”

Finally, when they realized who it was, they let Him in the boat. They were eager to let Him board. This is what Jesus is waiting for from us. He is calling each of us unto Himself. Jesus is getting down on one knee and asking you for your hand in eternal marriage. Notice what happens after they let Him in? They arrived at their destination safely. When Jesus is with us, we will always arrive where He intends for us to be.

Let’s recap: Jesus meets us in our needs. He comforts and reassures us that we will be ok. He is looking for willing hearts that want Him to be in their lives. He woos us to Himself with His love and He desires for that love to be returned. He will get us where we need to be. This equates to us not needing any kind of eyewear for we will have perfect 2020 vision. Praise God! He works at setting us free, free to be me, free to be you! What a beautiful garden we will be!