When we look backward, we often do so wondering whether or not God has been faithful. When we feel that sense of loss, we begin to question whether or not He has actually faithfully provided. Or sustained. Or guarded. Or strengthened. But what if we changed our lenses?

The type of lens makes all the difference. The most common type of lens is single-vision. It has the same prescription over the whole surface. But a person might also need bifocals. These lenses are divided into two sections – usually distance correction on top and reading correction on the bottom. There are also trifocals, which function like bifocals but with three zones for distance, intermediate, and near vision. The kind of lens you need depends on the kind of eyes you have, and the right lens makes all the difference. 

While the wrong lens brings haze, the right lens brings clarity. That’s true with glasses; it’s also true when we look back at our past. 

As Christians, we know God is faithful. The Bible tells us so:

• He who calls you is faithful; he will do it (1 Thes. 5:24).
• But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one (2 Thes. 3:3). 
• Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands (Deut. 7:9).

Despite that, we often look back over the course of our lives and wonder. We wonder about pain we’ve experienced. We wonder about opportunities we didn’t get. And we wonder about what “should have been.”

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