Blinded

I can’t imagine being born blind. I can barely get around my house without tripping on something that is always there now. When driving through Ruston, Louisiana, I noticed people with their eyes covered walking around with sight sticks. I later found out that Ruston was the home of the Louisiana Center for the Blind. The center teaches students the tools necessary to live life independently.  Finishing the program requires students to dropped off at a random location where they must find their way back.

My trip to Ruston was years ago, but I recalled this while reading a novel whose main character was born blind. She used echolocation to get around. Echolocation is the “ability of humans to detect objects in their environment by sensing echoes from those objects, by actively creating sounds.” The protagonist in the novel I am reading used clicking sounds from her mouth to “see.”

Throughout our lives, we will encounter many who are blind, though most of them can see. Their eyes may physically work, but they are blind in other areas. Jeremiah 5:21 says, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.” This verse tells me that God wanted them to know something, but they chose not to hear it for some reason.

There are a variety of reasons that people do not see. Ignorance is one of those reasons. Ignorance is not stupidity. It is merely a lack of knowledge. If you saw a cow for the first time, you would not know what it is unless someone tells you it is a cow. The same is true of other things. If you have never been taught a truth, how can you know it? I have experienced people training me on the job that did not want to explain something because they preferred to be the only one with that knowledge. They thought it made them more valuable to the company. When the time came for me to use that knowledge, I could not. I was blind to that truth.

One truth that I learned over the years is God loves us all. Sometimes, we are

ignorant of that truth. If we do not demonstrate God’s love to others, then how can they know. Treat people the way God loves and tell them about the God of love. Knowing the truth can change their lives. John 8:31-32 states, “So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” You cannot be set free if you do not know the truth.

Image source: Seasons of Life Ministries.

Sometimes we do not see the truth in our lives because we are too busy looking at the problem in everyone else’s lives. We choose to look at the negative in people without understanding what we need to correct ourselves. Often the thing that aggravates us about someone is the same trait that we have. We just don’t see it. We complain about others being close-minded, but we don’t listen to their point of view. Matthew 7:3 says, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Some people can become blind after being able to see at first. Something changed to make them blind. Often, we do not know the truth because we have experienced something that distracts us from that truth. It is hard to believe that the Father loves you if you were abused by your parents. The abuse does not change the fact that he loves you. The experience blinds us to it. God did not want you to suffer. Sin brought into this world brought the suffering. We want free will but blame God when someone uses the free will to hurt us. Often these experiences lead us to blindness caused by resentment. Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” If we seek the Lord Jesus, he will reveal the truth and open your eyes to the reality that will bring you peace.

While many have learned to live with blindness, there is a better way. Quit holding on to things that hide the truth. See the truth. Do not choose to remain blind.

       

Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. (Matthew 13:16)

New Glasses

I remember getting into several fights as a child. I do not recall the reasons behind most of them. Knowing me, I was probably the cause of most of them, probably said something stupid. I was a small farsighted kid. Many times, I would hand my glasses to someone to hold before throwing a punch. Other times, my parents would pick me up from school with the remnants of what used to be eyeglasses in my metal lunch kit as I shook the box so they could hear the soon to be replaced remains.

As I grew older, I went through a time where I no longer needed glasses. My eyes were changing.

As a teenager, I was driving my mom around and ran three stop signs. She questioned me as to the reason why and I simply responded with, “what stop signs?” Shortly after, my parents brought me to the optometrist. My dad pointed to a sign on the door across the waiting room, and I could not even see a sign, much less than read what it said.

I walked out with a prescription for new glasses to correct my shortsighted vision. I was amazed at what I could see. Things at a distance were now clear. I thought everyone saw things far away, as I did, fuzzy and unclear.

Just over 30 years later, my eye doctor informed me, I need bifocals. I can still read without my glasses, but with them, I read clearer.

Seeing things clearly is a wonderful thing. I no longer run stop signs. I can now see the words on a sign and not just the frame of the sign. There is nothing wrong with getting help to see things better.

I wish everyone could see clearly and not just physically.

People talk about being optimists, but some are positive only when things are going their way. Others are positive regardless of the situation. Some are always negative. None of us can be right one hundred percent of the time. Sometimes we need help to see things more clearly.

I know what I believe and why I believe it. However, I have heard differing opinions that revealed some errors in my thinking. When proven wrong, I have changed my opinion.  Being stubborn to other beliefs keeps us blind. Not being emotional or hardheaded breaks barriers and often results in a clearer vision.

Arguments never help anyone, but honest and open discussions may. You never know who may help your vision become clearer. Do not believe everyone or everything without knowing all of the facts but listen to others. It has taken me many years to listen to some, but I enjoy being able to see. My hearing has cleared some of my vision.