When Faith Becomes My Eyes

Sometimes in my journeying with Jesus, my faith is the evidence of things hoped for.*

When I hang onto Hope assurances

with white knuckled fingers

and whispered-in-the-darkness prayers

but other times The EVIDENCE is right in front of me

when FAITH Becomes My EYES.**

Last week I had a mammogram and because I've had cancer in the past, they always read the films while I am still there (a definite perc!). So I went into the waiting room with other women dressed in mauve tops that wanted to gap in inappropriate places and picked up a magazine - a December 2010 issue of People Magazine.

The cover story was about Elizabeth Edwards and her ending battle with breast cancer. Seriously. Of all the thousands of magazines to be in a mammogram center, this is the one that I pick up. I turned instead to an article on Brad and Angelina and their growing brood of children.

And waited.

Mrs. Hartke, a nurse announced. She led me to a consultation room where I've received bad news in the past. I didn't even have a chance to sit on the uncomfortable leather chair before she announced, It's good. She handed me a piece of paper:

And although I was a little disappointed that it wasn't checked - at the very least- with a purple marker that smelled like grape popsicle-melting summer days or wasn't delivered with a bouquet of Congratulation Balloons or by singing telegram....of this I am thankful:

Faith became my eyes. It was there. In my hand. With a big black check mark, leaving no questions or doubts.

Normal. Benign. No evidence of cancer.

How can six small words contain so much happiness?

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is all about faith. Some of the people mentioned there saw the promises they hoped for answered on this side of life. Others did not, but they are still listed in the Hall of Faith Heroes. Because ultimately our faith is not in What, but in Who.

(Can I be honest and just say that in this instance I was really glad to see the What and I wanted to do some back handsprings and give some high fives to all the other mauve-attired ladies and shout glad tidings to the roof tops, but instead I just said Thank you and walked out into a changed day.)

For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.  - 2 Timothy 1:12 NAS

Until that day.

When Faith Becomes our Eyes.

* See Hebrews 11:1

** In the song, I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin, he sings the words When faith will be my eyes. Beautiful.