Photo by Susan Wilkinson
“I think that the greatest gift God ever gave man is not the gift of sight but the gift of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is a function of the heart.”
– Dr. Myles Monroe
Have you seen those beautiful “works of art” (like the one shown above) that contain something hidden within them? They’re called stereograms, autostereograms, or magic eye posters. With this hidden-art phenomenon, although the picture in itself is pleasant to view, not everything in it is so easily seen. The artist hides something within – or “inside” – the picture. By all appearances, the hidden thing is simply not there.
The hidden-art experts describe techniques that require the viewer’s eyes to deviate from normal involuntary reflex focus on the field of vision, in order to find the hidden thing that the artist has concealed. Essentially, viewers must intentionally surrender the natural focus of their eyes. A different kind of vision is required.
If you’ve attempted it, you know the “unnatural” refocusing (or un-focusing) takes you out of your comfort zone! Because of this, the tendency is to resist. In fact, you might even conclude there’s really nothing hidden at all, and the picture clearly seen is all there is.
For a few persistent viewers though, the discomfort to find what’s hidden is outweighed by an eager anticipation of experiencing the reward of what’s revealed. I’ll give you some encouragement! If you and I don’t lose heart, I believe we’ll be amazed at all that’s revealed in what’s hidden!
Let’s consider whether there might be a valuable spiritual parallel here. To make the connection with the above opening, let’s say your life is part of the “picture” that’s in plain sight.
Before looking at a Biblical parallel, would you reflect on some questions with me?
- Would I say my life in general is pleasant, like a picture?
- Am I generally comfortable with my life?
- Is it true that I live day to day largely by what’s in focus and plain sight (job, friends, finances, hobbies, health, aspirations, etc.)?
- Have I ever stopped what I’m doing to consider if I’m missing something in life that’s not in plain sight?
- Am I willing to surrender at least a little of my comfort and resistance in order to re-focus, if it would mean transformative, hidden things were revealed to me?
Quite possibly you responded affirmatively to at least two of these questions! If so, you may wish to read on…
Let’s go back in time and explore one of the early biblical letters written by the Apostle John, and his account of a stunningly pivotal encounter. This really seems to set the stage for future generations, perhaps an opportunity for us, regarding how we see our life picture, focus, comfort zones, and let’s just call it the “hidden.” It just may change how we live.
John tells us about the dramatic interaction just hours before the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus. The apostle and eleven more of Jesus’ closest followers were gathered together with their beloved teacher. He’d been with them in plain sight for three years as traveling missionaries. Although it was probably a very eventful, busy and sometimes difficult journey, this was the picture of their lives. At some level, they had become comfortable with it. But all that was about to change. Jesus began challenging their focus as He prepared them for his coming “departure.”
John tells us that Thomas in particular was troubled about this development and may’ve been ready to give up. Perhaps his comfort zone was being challenged by Jesus, causing a little more resistance and even skepticism to bubble up? Here’s a snippet of their conversation…
Jesus: “I am going to prepare a place for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
Thomas: “No, we don’t know, Lord… We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
(taken from John, chapter 14)
In other words, poor Thomas couldn’t imagine a life outside of plain sight and his comfort zone.
This interaction was the tip of the iceberg. If you read the larger context of John’s account, the doubts in that room were palpable. Those discouraged followers had been comfortably dependent on seeing their Teacher with their own eyes for a long time. They’d been comfortable living with what they could see in front of them. Was there something hidden in this picture that they hadn’t made the effort to see?
It was time for Jesus to teach them about the gift of new vision. In fact, just before the interaction with Thomas, He’d provided a subtle hint as to what new vision would entail:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” – John 14:1
Later in that discourse, Jesus alluded to His Spirit (Holy Spirit) that would only be seen with spiritual eyes, in lieu of His physical presence.
“Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me (v.19)… you are in me, and I am in you. (v.20)” – John, chapter 14
And there it is. By surrendering their resistance and comfort, those troubled followers of Jesus would begin to see something they hadn’t before seen in plain sight. The hidden Spirit of Christ Himself would be revealed to them. It can’t be overstated that this was the single most transformative shift in all of history related to humanity’s relationship with God-in-flesh, Jesus Christ —from sight, to faith. From physical sight to spiritual sight. From seeing Him with their natural eyes to seeing Him with their spiritual ones.
God is the artist that has painted the picture of your life. He has weaved Himself into the masterpiece, hidden within. It’s by His grace that He created you in His image. As a tripartite being – spirit, soul and body – you’re literally equipped by your own spirit to discover His revelation to you, and to act on it in your soul (heart and mind) and body. Hidden in the artwork of everyday life, every situation, He is there.
As a new believer or a longtime believer just learning to follow Jesus like the early disciples, you can eagerly anticipate the increasing clarity of God’s revelation to you. From my own experience, this is a lifelong process. I must daily surrender my comfort zone of natural sight to see with new vision other hidden things the Spirit wants to reveal to me personally. Dare I resist? Dare I limit this precious life to only what my eyes can see in this temporal, natural world? I dare not.
As you and I continue seeking the Hidden – despite our discomforts – the truth that is revealed day by day will change us even in this moment as well as for eternity. The Bible dramatically records the later transformation of those twelve closest companions of Jesus that is nothing short of miraculous, and historical.
The Hidden… changed how they thought and the choices they made.
The Hidden… transformed their relationships.
The Hidden… taught them to invest their time in something that mattered, and not simply spend it on vanity.
The Hidden… changed everything.
The same will occur with us!
Are you ready to engage this new vision, today? There are many ways to train your sight, to see clearly with your spiritual eyes, regardless of your current picture. Truth will be revealed to you on a daily basis, if you seek it. The Hidden, the Spirit of Christ, will reveal more and more hidden things to you as you stay focused on Him.
What are some of these ways to engage and train your spiritual sight, your new vision?
- Put your trust in Jesus, as He instructed His followers in John 14:1.
- Read and apply scripture each day. Quality is more important than quantity. How you unpack and apply just a single passage is vastly more important than how much you read.
- Make time for daily quiet times of prayer, and listen to what the Spirit of Christ is saying to you through His Word. In time, your listening skills will improve.
- Be involved in regular times of praise, worship and teaching from a local church. Others will be drawn to you, and you’ll be drawn to them, as God leads.
- Seek and build new relationships with others who are growing in Jesus.
The timeless words below, from ancient Biblical letters, still encourage us as we wait in faith – with new vision seeing what is hidden – and look with eager anticipation for His return…
“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him… Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
– John 14:17-21
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:12
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“...Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
– 1 John 3:2
The Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth of Christ – an ancient hidden image. Although there are critics of its authenticity, Dr. Mark Antonacci, scientist and author, has studied the shroud for over 40 years. He stands by its authenticity, as do many scholars and believers. For now this may be the closest we’ll come in this life to physically seeing our savior. But the best is yet to come!
Mark Antonacci is author of Test The Shroud: At the Atomic and Molecular Levels and Resurrection of the Shroud: New Scientific, Medical, and Archeological Evidence.
*Note: There’s much more on the architecture of your inner life, designed by God, here. To learn more about interacting with Jesus by faith, go here.
