Fresh Eyes

I play this game on the computer. It's called Mahjongg Titans. It is a game of tiles, where I have to uncover tiles by removing layers on top or next to other tiles by pairing them up (tile to same tile). There doesn't seem to any real point to playing this game. I tell myself it's helping me learn to see things, details that I often miss. When the game says there are matches left to make and I can't see them, I can hit the "H"int button and it shows me a pair. Sometimes I feel so silly when I can't see the simplest, most obvious moves!

Sometimes I become frustrated and play the same game over and over until I can win - even though there is no prize and no one knows when I've won but me. Sometimes I'll get stuck, become frustrated and make repeated attempts to win then I leave the game for a while, like it will miss me and somehow let me win when I come back. Well, you know that doesn't happen. But what does happen is that after leaving it for a while, it's like my eyes are cleared and I can see matches that I didn't see before.

Reading the Bible is much the same. If we read a passage, then put it down and later pick it up again and re-read it, we see it much clearer. A friend relayed a Bible Study technique of reading and rereading a passage 5 times before starting into the supplemental Bible study material. I can see how that would really expand my understanding of a given passage. Using a variety of translations would help too, but reading the same translation 5 times would be very effective. You see the same material over and over with fresh eyes each time...if you read it, say, 5 days in a row. I see the benefits of this from my other real-life experience. Just like the games I play, walking away expecting fresh eyes, opens up a lot of possibility.

Thank You, Father, for fresh eyes to see the messages You provide in the Bible. You sure think of everything! Amen.

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