Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus: Strangely Dim

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" ~Colossians 3:2

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Between the second and third decade of the 19th century, Helen Howarth Lemmel was inspired by Isabella Lilias Trotter's tract, "Focussed," to write the song "The Heavenly Vision," which is more commonly known as "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." I'm sure many of you know the song well. The tract is a convicting work I encourage you to read here.

In both the tract and the song, the words "strange" and "dim" are used together, albeit in different forms. I know that when I think of the song, that is the first line that comes to mind: "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim..."

Obviously, everything appears dim compared to God's glory and grace. But why is that strange? It's not that God's glorious Light is odd or that the things of the world dimming are a peculiar phenomenon to happen...what we once found familiar now becomes foreign.

See, like Paul, as the scales fall from our eyes as our selfish will is shed, we start seeing the Light in a way we never have before. As this marvelous Light overtakes all we know (or thought we knew), our surroundings, attitudes, interactions, and how we speak become strange if their purpose and reason are not found in Christ. Why? Because day by day, we are coming fuller and fuller into the knowledge of the Truth. It is Jesus Christ, the Truth, who teaches us a new way to live in a Kingdom Mindset. Our earthly mindset is no longer attractive.

Always improve the present moment.