I’d always heard that when you turned 40 your eyesight started to go. I also kept hearing that it would get tougher to stay in good physical condition. I mostly believed the first statement, but dismissed the second one.

As it turned out, the opposite was true. At least until now.

Working out and staying in shape has become more difficult since turning 40, which happened almost seven years ago. I’m more prone to feeling various aches and pains. Staying in (or getting back into) good aerobic condition seems especially hard. Getting into a completely vertical position after being seated for any length of time is now more of a process than an event. I’m not giving up on being fit, it’s just requiring more effort and patience than it used to.

As for my eyes, they seemed to remain strong through my 40’s. That is until the last six months or so. At first I noticed words were just slightly harder to make out. Just a little blurry. It helped to not hold books so close. More recently, I’ve found it somewhat difficult to read the small print on medicine bottles. I seemed to always be searching for the magical angle and the best light that would allow me to see the words. And the notes at the bottom of the page in my new Bible were practically useless to me. I have no idea why the chose to use such small print. Although I suspect that font size seemed much larger a few years ago.

Earlier this week while doing some grocery shopping, I stopped at the reading glasses kiosk, which I’ve done many times before. The instructions said to stand 14 inches from the eye chart. Just 14 inches? Come on…I can read the tiniest line from five or six feet! Give me a real challenge! That’s how I’d always taken the test…until this week.

I tried put on a pair of 1.25 strength glasses. Then I read the chart from 14 inches like it said to. It was like reading with a magnifying glass! The words were so big and clear! Honestly, I was a little surprised at how much clearer.

So at four months shy of turning 47, I bought a $12 pair of reading glasses. I can now read the medicine bottles. And it’s like having a new Bible.

It didn’t take long to discover that the same glasses that can help me see better at 14 inches have quite the opposite effect at 14 feet. Objects and people at that range are blurry with the glasses on. So now I’m one of those people who must duck their head slightly to peer over the top of their glasses to see beyond a couple of feet. I may not be able to avoid becoming the guy who wears his glasses on the end of his nose so as to avoid the forward head dip. Only the eyes need to move then.

Anyway, all of that leads me to this: reading glasses are much like our walk of faith. God will always be faithful to give us grace and direction to handle what is right in front of us, but if we look too far ahead, things can get fuzzy in a hurry.And fuzzy leads to worry, fear and anxiety.

It’s best to keep our eyes on what God has revealed and is doing today. Don’t try to look ahead and figure out what He’s going to do next month…or even next week. Live in the moment. Enjoy His presence and promises for today. You cannot even begin to imagine all of the possible ways He will handle tomorrow’s problems, so don’t worry about them.

Choose to be content with the view at 14 inches. You’ll experience a lot more joy and peace.