Sunday, February 8, 2009

Blindness and Seeing

This morning I got up earlier than usual, because I had been lying in bed awake for probably two hours and simply could not return to sleep. So, when my husband got up, I followed. I'd already been to the bathroom during that time I'd been awake, so I instead gathered some clothes to get dressed. I was having a very difficult time seeing what I was doing, and I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to put in my contact lenses! No wonder I was having such a hard time seeing (it was early and overcast outside, so the light wasn't bright, either). I laughed and told Nathan what I'd done. I have high-degree myopia (nearsightedness), which means I'm at high risk of things such as retinal tears. My eyes haven't gotten worse in many years, but as a child, they would get worse and worse. Every time I went to get my eyes examined, they would up my prescription. I have the worst eyes in my family. I cannot see well enough to do normal every day activities, like cooking or bathing a child, etc. You sure wouldn't want me to try to drive. I have to be very close to a person to make out their facial features (everyone is just a white blur...or brown blur or whatever one's shade of skin is).

After we finished laughing, I walked over and gazed thoughtfully out of our sliding glass door at the blurry trees, and I said to Nathan, "You know, that was my most-prayed-for request as a child. I prayed every night that I would wake up in the morning and be able to see perfectly. I did that for a LONG time, and I would pray in faith. Even though I woke up every morning and still couldn't see, I would pray the next night and truly believed I would wake up the next day and be able to see."

He replied that I must have been pretty disappointed a lot.

But, in truth, I came out better than having my physical "blindness" healed. I said, "You know, He gave me something better. He gave me spiritual sight. I may be physically blind, but I can spiritually see. Some people don't have to wear any corrective lenses at all, and yet they are very spiritually blind." (Thankfully, I'm not totally blind, though with high degree myopia, there's always that risk.)

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into the this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind (John 9:39).

I don't mind so much about having to wear corrective lenses now. They now will serve as a reminder to me that I have the greater blessing of spiritual sight.

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