Christian Living

I SEE MEN AS TREES

by Chi Onwuchekwa
05/14/20
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I SEE MEN AS TREES...

“And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees ...” Mark 8:23b-24

Thankfully the blind man that Jesus sought to heal was humble enough to admit that though he saw, he wasn’t seeing as he ought to see. And in admitting this, he provoked the Lord to touch his eyes again (v. 25).

We know that clarity of vision (physical or spiritual) is so critical to life enabling us to see and know the things we ought to; but more importantly allowing us to take decisive steps in the direction we want to go.

Though the Bible acknowledges that we see in part and know in part, yet whatever level of vision we have must be adequate for us to know where we are going and the pathway to getting there.

And because we sometimes ‘...don’t see or know as we ought to...’ (1 Corinthians 8:2), we are prone to also seeing ‘men as trees’ or going on ‘a way that appears to be right, but in the end leads to death.’ - Proverbs 14:12. And that is why it is essential for us to be humble enough to acknowledge, to ourselves, and to God that there is a problem with our ‘knowing’ or ‘seeing’.

When we do this, we make room for the Lord to ‘touch our eyes again’ as He did with the man who saw ‘men as trees’. For after he was touched again, he saw men as men. Meaning that when the Lord touches our ‘eyes’ again, we will be able to see things - spiritual and physical for what they really are. 

The alternative, and where some of us miss it, is that we often take life-changing decisions or begin on journeys-in business, in ministry, in relationships, in careers even when we know our vision is not clear enough to allow us to know exactly where we are headed or the pathway to our destinations.

A good vision at the beginning would definitely never prepare anyone for all that is ahead, neither is it a guarantee of a trouble-free endeavour; but clarity in our hearts as to why we took the decisions and steps that we did will help sustain our focus and confidence. 

Can you imagine the man who saw men as trees attempting to walk through life with that kind of vision? Surely, he will keep avoiding the men who might have been appointed by God to ‘meet, greet and give’ him (1 Samuel 10:4) because in his failed vision, he sees them not for the ‘helpers’ they are but as ‘trees’ to be avoided. That is sad!

Humbly, I ask us to re-evaluate what it is exactly that we ‘see’ in all of these areas - our spiritual and secular destinies, our relationships and marriages, our calls and assignments, our careers and businesses - etcetera; and if in any of these we find our visions unclear, we must then turn to God, acknowledging that our vision is unclear. Surely, the Lord Jesus will respond to us the same way He did to the man who saw men as trees - He will touch our ‘eyes’ again and make our visions clear.

The Lord Jesus bless you richly and may He restore to us all a 20/20 vision of His purposes for our lives and His pathway to accomplishing them in Jesus name. Amen.

Shalom!

Chinwe Onwuchekwa
04.05.20