Three weeks ago I sat on an airplane next to a man who told his story about growing up as a Muslim in Pakistan. While serving as a soldier in the Pakistan army, someone on the street told him about Jesus. The message of Jesus transformed his life, and today he travels the world telling others his amazing story.

Two weeks ago at a training school in Malaysia, I taught students from nations “closed to the gospel.” These students love the Lord and are hungry to take the Good News that changed their lives back to their nations. They are making a difference for eternity.

Last week, a lady who we had known as a teenager forty years ago stopped by our home. In those earlier days, I had been a chicken farmer. But LaVerne and I knew there had to be more to life than raising chickens, so we spent our evenings reaching out to community kids who had no understanding of Christ. Our visitor was one of many kids who had invited the Lord into her life. We were thrilled to hear her story of her family members who are serving Jesus today.

To be effective for Christ, we do not need to be from Pakistan or from a nation closed to the gospel or even a chicken farmer. It starts with asking the Lord to open our eyes to see as He sees. That reminds me of what happened to me last week. I had a hard time seeing while driving due to extreme sunlight. When I put on a pair of sunglasses with polarized lenses, the change was remarkable. Instantly I could see things that I simply could not see a moment before although they were right in front of me.

Let’s ask the Lord today for His polarized sunglasses, so we do not miss that which is eternal and right in front of us.