Finally Seeing with My Own Eyes

I have wanted LASIK for a long time.

My vision started going blurry somewhere in the middle of high school. I started having to wear glasses to play tennis, then to use the computer, then to watch TV. Friends standing across a parking lot started looking like blurry shapes without them. The world just kept getting a little less clear over time, at least without wearing my glasses.

I tried contacts once. I cried trying to put them in. When I finally got them in, I could not get them out. I wanted to go to bed, and I was stuck at the mirror. That was the first and last time I tried contacts. Glasses, it was.

And look, glasses worked. I could see with them. But there is something about having a piece of equipment between you and the world every single day. Always reaching for them first thing in the morning. Worrying about forgetting them. Not being able to just be free in a moment without thinking about them.

I wanted to see the world with just my own eyes. Nothing in between. The way God designed them.

As the years went by, something kept tugging at me. There is another option.

I knew LASIK would be uncomfortable. I knew it would push every button I had, because I am extremely sensitive to anything near my eyes. But I made the decision at 27, and I was going to do it. Not just for the convenience, but because I want to see my wife clearly on our wedding day. No glasses. Just me, her and every single face in that room in perfect focus. 

I want to play sports freely. I want to shoot a bow, go hunting, look up at the details of creation, mountains, sunsets, the things God has put on this earth, and see all of it with my own two eyes.

So I went.

The Surgery

They handed me two stress balls the moment I sat down.

I squeezed those things like my life depended on it.

One of the techs talked me through the whole thing like a mom, asking where I wanted to travel next and keeping my mind off it. The doctor's voice would cut through every few seconds. Just give me 12 more seconds. And I would tell myself, "I can do anything for 12 seconds." And then he would say it again. And I would tell myself again.

At one point, I reached for someone's hand. I do not even fully remember deciding to do it. I just needed to hold on to something else. And someone was there, and it helped more than I can explain.

And then for a moment, underneath the lights, my vision went completely white. Blank. I could not see clearly. I was not in control. I was completely in the hands of the people around me, trusting a process I could not fully see or understand at the time.

It was one of the most uncomfortable moments I have had in a long time.

Touch My Back

After the surgery, they told me to keep my eyes closed for about six hours. My mom drove me home. My dad met me at the door. He asked how it went, and after I filled him in, he just said, "Grab my back." I laughed, put my two hands on his back like I was in a conga line, and he led me through the house to my bed.

It hit me immediately. This is exactly what it looks like to walk with God. You cannot always see where you are going. You cannot control what lies ahead. You just have to stay close to the voice you trust and let it lead you.

Later, after a nap, my dad led me to the table the same way. Eyes still closed. Hands on his back. And when I sat down to eat, he guided me through the whole meal.

Here is the ketchup. Here are the fries. Here is your sandwich.

I was completely dependent on his voice. At one point, he said, "You still have some strawberries over there.”

I had completely forgotten about them. My eyes were closed, and they were just sitting there, and I would have missed them entirely.

That hit me harder than I expected.

How many times has God been saying, "There is still something good right in front of you," and we miss it because we are not tuned in to His voice? How many blessings, how many moments, how many strawberries have we walked right past because we stopped listening?

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."— John 10:27

Following God is not always about seeing clearly in the moment. Sometimes it is about learning to trust His voice when everything feels uncertain and staying close enough to actually hear Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."— Proverbs 3:5–6

The Other Side of Uncomfortable

The next morning, I went to my post-op appointment. The doctor had me read the eye chart.

I read the twenty-twenty line.

Then I read the twenty-fifteen line.

My vision is now clearer than it has ever been in my entire life. Not clearer than it was with glasses. Clearer than it has ever been, period. I drove home and kept noticing things. Details I had never been able to take in without a pair of frames sitting on my face. The world, unfiltered, through my own eyes.

And I just kept thinking about that famous line.

I was blind, but now I see.

Now, I could see before. But there is something powerful about finally experiencing what you were always meant to have, without anything standing in the way.

"One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."  — John 9:25

John 9 tells the story of a man who was born blind. Jesus healed him. And when people questioned him about it, he did not have a theological argument. He just said what was true. I was blind. Now I see. That is enough.

And here is what I keep thinking about. The surgery was uncomfortable. It required me to sit still, trust someone else completely, surrender control and go through something scary in order to come out on the other side with new sight. I could have kept the glasses forever. That was the safe, comfortable choice. But I would have spent the rest of my life seeing the world through something in between.

That is how a lot of the best things God does in us actually work.

Sometimes, He is not asking us to go from zero to something. Sometimes, He asks us to remove whatever we have been hiding behind fear, self-sufficiency, old habits, or walls, so we can finally experience what we were always meant to have. A clear, unobstructed relationship with Him. Nothing in between.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."— 2 Corinthians 5:7

The uncomfortable season. The unknown outcome. The moment when you are squeezing the stress balls and telling yourself you can do 12 more seconds. Those are often the exact moments God is doing something in your vision that you will not fully understand until you open your eyes on the other side.

Do not run from the uncomfortable thing He is asking you to walk through. Sometimes what feels unbearable in the moment is exactly what He is using to help you finally see clearly.

Whatever season you are in right now, whatever has felt uncertain, uncomfortable or just a little out of focus, keep trusting the voice that says, "I've got you. Just 12 more seconds."

He is leading you. Trust Him—clarity awaits on the other side.

Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/kwasny221

Reflection Questions for the Week

1. Is there an uncomfortable season God is asking me to sit still and trust Him through right now?

2. What would help you focus more on the voice of God?

3. Is there something I have been hiding behind fear, self-reliance, old habits that God is inviting me to finally let go of so I can see more clearly?

Joe Navarro, known online as @joechristianguy, is a Christian content creator, entrepreneur, and cultural voice passionate about making faith approachable and impactful for the next generation. With over 4.5 million combined followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Joe delivers bold, Gospel-centered truth through a mix of daily encouragement, short-form teachings, comedic skits, and authentic life experiences. His unique blend of theology, humor, and clarity has created space for millions of young believers and skeptics alike to engage with Scripture and real conversations about following Jesus in a digital world. In 2023, he co-created the popular card game Discernment alongside Jacob and Julia Petersen, which is now available in major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Museum of the Bible, and Mardel. He also holds a degree in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Sales from Texas A&M.