The healthy eye looks to Jesus

"'The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:22,23 NIV

In an article published recently by Runner’s World, the writer said,”If you’re struggling with dry, itchy, burning eyes, aerobic exercise can help...” They then explained in greater detail. Quick anatomy refresher: Tear film is produced when we blink, and hydrates the surface of the eye in a thin layer that protects against irritants like dust. When tear film production is reduced, that creates dry spots where those particles can land on the eye’s surface and cause dryness and itching. In the recent study, those doing more exercise saw greater consistency in their tear film production, but even participants running only once a week got a boost, according study to co-author Heinz Otchere, Ph.D.(c), a researcher in vision science at the University of Waterloo in Canada. “The takeaway from our research and previous studies is that exercise can lead to significant improvement in eye health, and the more activity you get, the greater that improvement becomes,” said Otchere.

And you know, when it comes to eye health, Jesus said that "the eye is the lamp of the body" and that if our eyes were healthy our whole bodies would be full of light, but if our eyes were unhealthy our whole bodies would be full of darkness. Simply put, the “light” comes into the body through the eye. When our eyes are directed at Jesus and on heavenly things like using what we have to serve God and others, we will be full of light. But when our eyes are directed at ourselves and on acquiring earthly things, we will be full of darkness because self-serving desires, interests and goals block the light from entering. A "healthy" eye then is one focused on the Lord and doing His will. 

So how would you rate the health of your eyes today my friend? Would you say that your lamp is shining bright? If not, the way to restore that light is to look to God and vow to serve Him with all that you have. By doing so, you'll regain the spiritual vision you need to see the world from an eternal perspective. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for this reminder that "healthy" eyes, eyes that bring light into the whole body, are ones that look to You and fix their gaze on doing Your will. Help us to honestly assess the health of our eyes today and to make any adjustments we need to remove any film or cover over them so that we can clearly see what You want us to do. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!