Tunnel Vision
“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
I love Peter. He’s such a great brother to us. He gets it SO right (You are the Christ) and then SO wrong (Get behind me, Satan). I feel like Peter all the time - one moment I’m right on track and the next I’m going in the wrong direction. Like Peter, I’m almost always zealous, but sometimes I’m not zealous for the right things.
All too often, I’m not thinking as God does, but like human beings do. I’m caught up in my life or my plan, and I forget. I forget to ask God what He thinks. I forget to ask Him what He wants. I forget to consider His larger plan. I’m so tempted to just focus on my life and what’s going on with me instead of the big picture. I get tunnel vision.
Jesus always keeps His eyes on the Father’s bigger picture.
Sisters, I won’t lie. This Gospel is a hard hitter because Jesus doesn’t sugar coat His conversation with Peter at all. He calls Peter out - asking him to shift his own tunnel vision and start looking at God’s big picture. And He does the same with us.
We’re called to get out of our own heads and set aside our agendas to take on the mind of Christ - to ask the Father what He sees. Sisters, I want to catch God’s vision - not only for my own life, but also for the ministries I serve and the friendship I have. I want to catch God’s vision for my community and my neighborhood and my parish and my city and my state and country and continent and the world. I don’t want to have tunnel vision anymore because I don’t want to miss what He’s doing. And neither do you.
Father,
Thank You for opening up our eyes to see Your vision. Thank You for reminding us that we play a small (but vital!) role in Your bigger story. Thank You for merging our stories, for weaving us together as a people, and for allowing our stories to matter.
Father, please help us to see like You see. Help us to lift our eyes from our problems, our wants, our needs, and our desires so that we can see Your bigger picture. We want Your vision, and we want to act in accord with Your will, Father.
God, we love You. Show us how to see like You see and think like You think. Amen.