I
have Duane’s Syndrome. My doctor
discovered it during my annual physical last December and had me consult with a
specialist to confirm the diagnosis. Duane’s
Syndrome is an eye disorder that prevents my left eye from moving the whole way
over when I look to the left.
But
here’s the funny thing: I’ve had Duane’s Syndrome my entire life and never
realized it. No one in my family and
none of my friends noticed it. For 52
years I’ve had something wrong with me and had no clue. It hasn’t affected how I live my life, except
for having to squint a little when doing things like checking my blind spot
while driving. If my physician hadn’t noticed
it, I could have gone through my entire life blissfully unaware of this defect.
The
Bible tells us that God’s law is like my physician. We are incredibly gifted at turning a blind
eye to our faults. I wouldn’t know about
my Duane’s Syndrome without the doctor, and as Paul wrote, “I would not have known
what sin is except through the law” (Romans 7:7). When we read about God’s desire for our lives
in the Bible, we discover the ways in which we have strayed from it. We recognize our sin, and we come to
understand how it damages our lives and ruins our relationship with God.
God
does not reveal our sin to make us feel bad about ourselves. He wants us to see what is wrong in our lives
and in our world so we can do something about it. But when we try, we discover that we can no more
fix our sin than I can make my eye move the way it’s supposed to. God’s desire is for awareness of our
sinfulness to motivate us to seek the grace and wholeness that Jesus Christ
offers us through his redeeming death and victorious resurrection. Through him, we find not only healing and
forgiveness for our sin, but we receive the power of God’s Spirit who works in
and around us to reshape our lives and our world more into a fuller and richer
existence. My physician couldn’t cure me
of Duane’s Syndrome, but the loving work of God in our lives can heal our sin.
It
doesn’t happen overnight. The life of a
Christian is an ongoing adventure of growing closer to God and his will, and of
finding joy and peace in it all. There
are advances and retreats, growth and dormancy.
But over time, we can see how the power of sin is losing its grip on our
lives and how the Spirit of God is filling our spirits.
The
adventure is never complete, at least on this side of glory. The closer you draw to God, the more aware you
become of how far away from him you still are. Each injustice that is righted
and each temptation that is overcome makes us notice even more the temptations
and injustices that remain. And God
lovingly, patiently works with us and in us to bring us closer and closer to
the goal of holiness and purity.
