Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! [NET]
This is a famous verse. What is it truly about? It is about focus.
The preceding verses are about acquiring riches in this life. When we should be accumulating treasures in heaven. They are followed by a warning: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Focus
You can only see something clearly if you focus on it. Your attention is always on what you are focusing on. Your dominant sense is sight. It captures your attention more than any other sense. When focused on any object, it will capture your whole attention.
As a professional pilot, I was taught to maintain eye dominance. To focus on my instruments while flying in clouds or at night. It is extremely easy to get disoriented. Especially as military pilots performing advanced maneuvers in these conditions.
A lot of the time, the other body senses, dominate your sense of sight. The inner ear, the feeling of weight in your joints, and movement in your peripheral vision. These make you believe you are straight and level when you are not. Other times, you feel like you are diving, climbing, or in a steep turn when you are actually straight and level. If these sensations are followed, it will result in some dire consequences.
So, how do you overcome all these sensations? You focus on the flight instruments. They are the truth. You focus on the truth. You put all your attention on the truth, and you maneuver the aircraft safely.
You focus, and you gain “eye dominance” over all the other senses in your body. Then what happens? Your sense of sight overcomes all the other sensory inputs. Focused, you are no longer disoriented. All your senses synchronize and come into agreement with the flight instruments.
But to do this, it takes intense focus.
The Lamp
Your eyes are the lamp to your body. They let in information, and as they focus, they also focus your attention. Whatever the input, light or dark, good or bad, it will affect you.
Just focus on any object, and your mind is captured. It analyzes, creates thoughts, and relates other information to this object. You cannot help it; it is how you are created.
Condition of the eyes
How do your eyes become “healthy or diseased?”
Simply by what you focus on. What are you focusing on in your daily life? What do you look at and let in through those eyes of yours?
Are you focusing on things related to the world system? These things are usually negative and ungodly and usually bring about negative emotions. Just watch the news or a reality show. You will see strife, anger, hopelessness, envy, lust, and fear.
Focusing on worldly things will fill your mind with strife, anger, hopelessness, envy, lust, and fear. Because what you focus on will capture your attention and your mind.
I know this because I have been caught in this trap many times. It is so subtle, and before you realize it, you feel like you are full of darkness. Your eye has become diseased.
Healing your Eyes
Again, this is simply by intentionally focusing on what is godly.
Focus on what is good, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.
Your attention will be on these things because you are focused on them. As you do this, your mind will become renewed, and the light will remove the darkness.
Practice
You will have to practice this because you are surrounded by the world and all its things. But the Lord has given you built-in help.
First, he has given your spirit His Spirit without measure. As you begin to do this, He will empower you, and it will become a habit. You will start to crave the good. You will look for it, and what is worldly will no longer attract your attention as it did in the past.
He has given you his word. Focus on the word, and as you read it, let the pictures flow. See the people, see their hopes, their victories, their failures. Get caught up in their lives. It is the best reality show going.
He has given you other believers. Communicate with them, fellowship with them. Focus on them and be transparent so that they can see you. Jesus will be there among you and fill your eyes with light.
Finally, focus on Jesus in everything. Yes, this will also take practice. Just “see” Him with you. Talk to Him. Focus on His presence and his gentle nudging in your Spirit. After a while, this will become so natural, and it will be who you are.
Where your focus is…
The verse preceding the one I quoted at the beginning:
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [NET]
So, I leave you with this: where your focus is, your treasure is, there your heart will be also.