Spiritual goggles...

A wise man once told me to look at scenarios in life in attempt to see the broader picture. I was pondering this the other day, as part of my school year resolution of writing more, and recalled a phenomenon of my earlier years. This phenomenon occurred for the most part in the years leading up to and at the 7th grade in situations surrounding large bodies of water, most notably, the YMCA pool.
When it came time to enter the pool, few possessions were as prized as a good pair of goggles. Goggles were the gadgets to have. Everyone knew the discomfort that would come from the burning chlorine in the eyes, or the water itself blurring ones’ vision, nobody who had to bits of sense would ever try swimming under water without his eyes carefully sealed behind those plastic wonders. In truth, childish games such as Marco Polo freeze tag and underwater tag would have been vain without these wonders. Chasing after a friend while not being able to see clearly would have been as successful as chasing after butterfly fish in the ocean, mere darting shadows of what was once there. Stylish, goggles came in man colors, sizes, shapes and finishes. Some of them had holographic tiger-eyes, cat eyes, lizard eyes and other fantastical creatures. Some were thin, some were fat, some were translucent, others opaque, but no matter what they were, they were vital.
Occasionally, however, one would find himself with a pair of goggles that did not seal around the eyes, and I believe that at that moment in time there was no more ludicrous item than a pair of goggles that trapped the water on the inside! The leaky goggle was the bane of underwater races and foiled many a child from exploring the emerald and veined surface of the pool floor. How many worlds were not known because of the inability to see? In the eyes of a child, willingly taking or not exchanging a faulty pair of goggles, or worse yet, not taking a pair at all to the pool, was as foolish as a one could get when it came time to go into the pool.
Thinking back to this situation, it made me think about entering into the world without God’s word. For us to jump into the world without the “filter” and “protection” of God’s word is almost as foolish as it is sinful. In the same way that we as children knew we needed those goggles to keep the chlorine out of our eyes and to let us see clearly, we also know that God’s word is the only thing that will keep the filth of the world out of our lives and let us see clearly what is truth. As ridiculous as I once saw the lack of “goggles” how much more ridiculous should I see the idea of not knowing God’s word inside and out before submerging myself in this world? As all analogies are, this is by no means perfect, but it did give me reason to think about a very real concept. I will equip myself with my “spiritual goggles” so that I can keep the “chlorine of sin” out of my life.