What If We All Could See 20:20 in 2020?

Whenever we have our eyes examined, 20:20 is the standard. Basically, 20:20 vision means we can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If the second number is higher, such as 20:40, it means one’s eyes probably need corrective lenses for being able to see what the average person can see unaided from 20 feet away. 

Is seeing 20:20 in 2020 an impossible dream?

With this year being 2020, I’ve been thinking how nice if we all could see life with 20:20 vision rather than the skewed, even distorted, vision that seems to afflict so many. “Consensus” these days has become more the exception than the rule. Two people can look at exactly the same thing – or issue – and see something entirely different, not only physically but also politically, ethically, morally or spiritually.

This is why the term “worldview” has become so important in understanding the disparity of values that people hold. How we view the world shapes how we think, how we act, and how we interact. One person’s “20:20” seems like 20:200 to someone else.

What would it be like if we all could see 20:20 in 2020? 

To even ask such a question seems ludicrous. Basically it would mean that everyone should see things the way I do, or you do, or someone else does. It’s like comparing a person who can discern the full range of colors accurately with someone that’s colorblind. Even among those who are colorblind, there are some who see only black, white and shades of gray; others can recognize some colors, but within a much narrower range.

So the notion of everyone enjoying 20:20 vision in terms of beliefs, philosophy and values seems unlikely, maybe even a flat-out impossibility.

I would have to agree. After all, if we all thought exactly alike, wouldn’t that be boring? Many of us would be unnecessary. At the same time, I’d like to believe the chasm between convictions that we find so accentuated these days needn’t be so broad.

Even within the local church, we find significant differences: sacraments like baptism and communion, worship styles, types of music used during services, even which versions of the Bible to use. But as the Scriptures point out, there also should be common ground, areas where we all can see 20:20.

It was C.S. Lewis who wisely observed, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” I’ve referred to this statement before, and love it because it encapsulates how we as followers of Jesus Christ should approach whatever we encounter during the course of a day.

The apostle Paul, writing to believers in the ancient city of Corinth, expressed a similar view when he declared, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Rather than “majoring in the minors,” debating non-essential aspects of doctrine and practice, Paul was telling his readers that Jesus had to be central – foundational to everything he said, everything he did.

Elsewhere the apostle Paul wrote, "As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died” (Galatians 6:14, New Living Translation). Recognizing the many distractions that surround us, the many temptations that can get us off track, Paul had determined to focus his 20:20 vision on what mattered most – Jesus Christ, who He was, what He did, and our need to respond to the precious, priceless gift He offered to everyone who would believe in Him.

So, can we all have “20:20 vision” on everything, seeing all things the same way? No. And we shouldn’t. But the Bible does assert, to paraphrase what Lewis wrote, that to be a Christian – a genuine disciple of Christ – we should constantly strive to see things through His eyes, from His divine, perfect perspective. 

Alas, even then, 20:20 vision spiritually will remain beyond our grasp. At least in this life. “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely" (1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT).

But God Intended It for Good

In less than two months, regardless of the quality of our eyesight, we’ll all be seeing 2020 – on our calendars. In one respect, I can’t wait to see what the new year holds. However, if the crazy current year is any indication, maybe waiting wouldn’t be a bad idea. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about a different kind of 20:20. Not the kind revealed by an eye chart, but the perfect vision afforded to us through the benefits of hindsight.

Have you ever experienced a time of extreme disappointment, when at that moment it seemed as if all of your hopes and dreams were crashing down? Then, days or weeks or months, or even years later, you realized that setback wasn’t so bad after all? 

One man who attested to that was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who courageously exposed many of the evils of Communism under Joseph Stalin. For his efforts, he was sentenced to years of imprisonment in a Soviet gulag in the 1950s. Deprivation he experienced in the “corrective labor camp” provided unique insights into human suffering and the meaning of life. Most important, it became an integral part of his spiritual journey, leading him to conclude, “Bless you, prison, for having been in my life!”

Bless prison? How could anyone regard cruel confinement as a “blessing”? And yet, that was how Solzhenitsyn came to regard it as he wrote a series of books called The Gulag Archipelago.I know of other individuals who could look back on their time in prison as a spiritual turning point. Among them was the late Charles Colson, a former chief aide to President Richard Nixon, whose own prison experience led him to start the Prison Fellowship ministry that continues to touch many thousands of inmates nationwide.

For individuals like this, flawless hindsight revealed to them God could use a devastating experience as part of His process for shaping them into the people He intended for them to become.

Thankfully, I’ve not experienced anything remotely close to that. But numerous times, circumstances caused me to wonder, “Where did I go wrong?” or, “What in the world’s going on?” Only later did I learn how God had allowed the distressing circumstances to take place so that He could guide me to something much better than I could have imagined.

The Scriptures provide numerous examples of individuals whose lives seemed to reach a dead end, only to realize God was preparing them for future use. One who comes to mind is Joseph, the young man whose own brothers sold him into slavery out of resentment for his father’s favoritism. Taking that lemon and turning it into lemonade, Joseph became a valued servant in the household of Potiphar, a prominent Egyptian official. 

But that was hardly the end of his story. Joseph’s faithful service was unjustly “rewarded” by Potiphar’s wife when he spurned her lustful advances. “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Joseph protested (Genesis 39:9). Rather than admiring his virtue, the scorned wife falsely accused him of sexual assault and Potiphar had him imprisoned. 

“What did I do?!” might have been Joseph’s lament. Sitting in prison, he had ample opportunity to wonder about being wronged for doing right. Ultimately, it became evident God wasn’t at all surprised by the turn of events. The Lord used them to place Joseph into a strategic role as the chief assistant to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. This set the stage for fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham when He said, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and as the sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). 

Many years later Joseph’s brothers unknowingly came to him looking for help in the face of a growing famine. Rather than seeking vengeance for their betrayal, he embraced them and was able to declare, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

A familiar New Testament verse relates to this. Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Unfortunately, it’s sometimes dispensed as a simplistic platitude to comfort people going through times of serious struggle. Nevertheless, as Joseph learned in Egypt – and as many of us have discovered through our own adversities – it's true.

Do some of your hopes and dreams seem shipwrecked? Have dark times descended that defy explanation? When we encounter such moments in life, we can take heart in knowing the Lord is indeed in control. As He said through the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

For all of us who love God and are called according to His purpose, we can trust that even our hard experiences are intended for good. Sometimes we just need 20:20 hindsight to see how.