I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone

Dan Berry  •  March 18, 2026

It started when I was 40. My eyesight began to change drastically, and I started wearing glasses. Even though I didn’t like it, what they did for me was amazing. What I didn’t realize was that for the next several years, regular eye exams and multiple lens changes would become a normal part of my efforts to see clearly.

It would have been unwise for me to never get my eyes checked during that season of my life. I could have grown accustomed and comfortable with my original lenses, but seeing clearly would have gone by the wayside.

With new lenses always come adjustments—doctor appointments, new lenses, and new frames. Did I mention the fashion stress? Do I look good in these frames? Glasses aren’t cheap either. Sometimes it would be easier—simpler—to skip all the necessary adjustments.

During my later years, I noticed that I actually started seeing better without my glasses. I went for almost a year without needing them. When I finally went to the doctor, I told her I had experienced a miracle and didn’t need glasses anymore. She knew I was a pastor, so she understood my “miracle” terminology.

After the exam, she informed me that I hadn’t had a miracle. Instead, I had developed cataracts.

So much for that miracle.

Beyond Our Biases

Here’s my point with this little story.

In life, we are given a set of lenses that cause us to see the world based on our specific culture and the experiences that go along with it. I realize there are many other influences as well, but I hope you get my point.

If we are not careful, life has a way of boxing us in and forcing us to live only out of what we know. The danger is that without occasional lens adjustments, we lose empathy for what someone else might be going through because it doesn’t line up with how we see or have experienced life.

Just because someone else’s experience doesn’t line up with mine doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

We all have biases—lenses through which we interpret life. I’m not saying that’s all bad. But when we close ourselves off to other people’s experiences, ignore them, or never make an effort to understand them, we end up interpreting someone else’s life through what we’ve been taught, where we grew up, and how we personally see the world.

It took me a while to learn how harmful that approach can be. It was selfish, and it never helped me truly assist others in experiencing the life they were created for.

I was like a surgeon who couldn’t see his patient.

Seeing Clearly

I needed new lenses.

For me, it started with prayer. I began asking God to help me see people the way Jesus saw them. Whatever lenses He was wearing were the ones I wanted.

When I stopped trying to make everyone like me and began to see people for who they truly were—and how deeply they were loved by Him—it changed my ability to help. I started seeing more clearly.

Who would have thought?

I’ll close with this: if you have been wearing the same lenses for too long and the world doesn’t make much sense anymore, if you find yourself consumed with judgment and lacking empathy, maybe it’s time for a new set of lenses. Maybe you need a new perspective. Maybe it’s time to ask yourself, Where might I be missing it?

For me, it started with a simple prayer.

Whatever path leads to change in your life, I hope it begins today.

And remember: love never fails.

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