Obtaining Vision

This is my (Jade's) first entry on here. Last night as Erin I sat on the floor of our nearly empty apartment praying, I began to grasp how little praying I do anymore. Oh, I say a prayer here and there and bless the food, but deep, heart fealt prayer does not flow from my lips as it once did. This morning Erin asked me to read My Upmost for His Highest passage for May 9th, and God confirmed in my heart what I already knew in my head. I had taken my eyes off of Him. I had lost sight of seeking and looking for God in each and every situation.
I remember when I got my first set of glasses. The clarity of each and every object sprang forth as if I were in the midst of a 3-D movie. I remember driving on a gravel road and marveling at how I could visually see each and every pebble on the road. As time went on though, I began to leave my glasses at home and just get by without them. My eyes were good enough that I could pass the eye exam for driving so I didn't really "need them." Besides they were a pain to wear, awkward and did not enhance how I looked. The same can be said of my spiritual journey. Growing up I was unaware of my flawed vision of God. I went to church each and every Sunday. I believed in God and His Son Jesus. What more could I see? Then my eyes were opened. God spoke to my heart for the first time in my life at the age of 22. It was like putting on my first spiritual glasses. Everything was fresh in my relationship with Him. I could understand His meaning clearly as I read the Bible. I saw Him everywhere I looked. But as time went on, I focussed a great deal on the legalistic part of religion. It became uncomfortable and difficult following God. The discomfort of knowing I was now different from the world gave me, a dynamic extrovert, an unease of being around nonbelievers. I found myself taking off my spirtually glasses because I could get by on my foundation in my faith. I could rely on my beliefs of right and wrong without seeking the face of God in each situation I faced. However, even my foundation was compromised as I lost sight of the Lord. My vision was blurred. All I could see was the grey of the road and not the clarity of each pebble that lay ahead. Fast forward to today. I have once again picked up my glasses and just like the first time I am amazed at how clearly God is speaking to my heart. I am looking forward, expecting God to show me the plans that He has for Erin and I this summer, and more importantly, beyond this summer.
Here is a segment of My Upmost that really spoke to my heart today. "Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint." Prov. 29:18 ".....When once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless, we cast off certain restraints, we cast off praying, we cast off the vision of God in little things, and begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating what we have out of our own hand, doing things on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on the downward path, we have lost the vision." One of the main reasons I took off my spiritual glasses is because I had everything I needed. I made enough money that I could provide for us without relying on anything from God. However, no matter what I could buy it never brought satisfaction. I make no money now (LOL) and now my eyes are openned again. Oswald Chambers finished the passage in this way, "Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done? Is there a freshness and vigour in our spiritual outlook?" The answer for Erin and I is a definate YES!