Seeing clearly

(NIV) 2 Peter 1:5-9
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

(NIV) Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Open eyes are required to see beauty beneath the weight of a hard to face reality. Nearsighted blindness is a chosen judgement of anothers reality without acknowledgement of equal need of deserved judgment. You have to shut your eyes to prevent seeing your reflection in anothers eyes. Open eyes lead to humble tongues, restorative love, and an invitation to repentance through not having to do so alone.
Ineffective and unproductive is having a blind man give you LASIK surgery. Careful you aren't wielding a scalpel with a blindfold on. Be even more careful if your holding a scalpel if you've never been cut in the same manner.

(NIV) Luke 6:41-42
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

God never invites you into His doing something in someone He first doesn't do in you. That's why that huge list of things to add to in 2 Peter 1 is about reception not self generated addition.

(NIV) John 9:32-33

[32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."




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