Two Sets of Eyes

There's a fish called the Anablep—people call it the four-eyed fish. It doesn't actually have four eyes, but each eye is split into two lobes. One lobe sees above the water's surface, and the other sees below it at the same time.

That fish is living in two worlds simultaneously.

That's exactly what God calls you to do as a believer.

You have two sets of eyes now. Your first set sees everything happening in this world—the suffering, the trials, the disappointments, the chaos. You see the bills piling up, the kids struggling, the health problems, the attacks from the enemy. That's all real. You're not supposed to pretend it doesn't exist.

But your second set of eyes sees something else entirely. You see things above. You see God's promises. You see treasures in heaven. You see eternity. You see that this "light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2).

Most Christians only use one set of eyes. They're so focused on what's happening around them they lose sight of what's happening above them. They stress, worry, despair, and quit—all because they've forgotten to look up.

You don't have to choose between seeing your problems and seeing God's provision. You need both sets of eyes working at once.

See the trial, but see the Savior also.

That's how you endure without losing hope.

Want to go deeper?

This illustration comes from a powerful sermon on living with an eternal perspective. Watch the full message below to discover more biblical insights on seeing with spiritual eyes while navigating life's challenges.