New Sight
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25
“I was blind but now I see.” This simple statement is amazing. When we read it here in John, knowing the whole story that Jesus saw this man by the side of the road, this blind man and gave him his sight. That is certainly noteworthy. For this physically blind man, sight was a once for all miracle. Jesus is not one to waste anything. None of his miracles are just what they appear to be on the surface. Surely writers of prose, poetry and songs have used this line from scripture, “I was blind but now I see.” It suggests a before and after scenario. Often it is used to delineate the time when we had no relationship with God and a new time where we view Him as Lord of our life. I agree with that but I don’t think it ends there.
This miracle is a continuous one for me. Perhaps I am alone in this but I doubt it. All of us are learning as we go. At some point most of us were not conscious of the presence of God in our lives. Some of us knew about him, knew he was around but did not focus on him. Others had no idea about him until he called them to his side. In those dark days before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit I was blind. The sight I have been given is a miracle, a huge one, one that never ends but that blindness, that darkness has cousins. They show up when I think I can handle a situation on my own. I am blind to my lack of ability until overwhelmed I turn to prayer and then I see.
Selfishness, self-centeredness, low self esteem, and self-righteousness are all variations of blindness. We get blinded by our selves, by our commitments and by life in general. We become obsessed with independence and we forget that our very breath is a gift from God. We see our trials as darkness and sometimes they are but sometimes we are just too blind to see that God is using that trial to help us become better people.
I have never experienced physical blindness but I have experienced spiritual blindness. I have chosen to ignore the sacred and opt instead for the commonplace. Once I realize how dark things have become I call to Abba for mercy and he restores my sight. I can say with the famous man from Scripture “I was blind but now I see.”
“I was blind but now I see.” This simple statement is amazing. When we read it here in John, knowing the whole story that Jesus saw this man by the side of the road, this blind man and gave him his sight. That is certainly noteworthy. For this physically blind man, sight was a once for all miracle. Jesus is not one to waste anything. None of his miracles are just what they appear to be on the surface. Surely writers of prose, poetry and songs have used this line from scripture, “I was blind but now I see.” It suggests a before and after scenario. Often it is used to delineate the time when we had no relationship with God and a new time where we view Him as Lord of our life. I agree with that but I don’t think it ends there.
This miracle is a continuous one for me. Perhaps I am alone in this but I doubt it. All of us are learning as we go. At some point most of us were not conscious of the presence of God in our lives. Some of us knew about him, knew he was around but did not focus on him. Others had no idea about him until he called them to his side. In those dark days before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit I was blind. The sight I have been given is a miracle, a huge one, one that never ends but that blindness, that darkness has cousins. They show up when I think I can handle a situation on my own. I am blind to my lack of ability until overwhelmed I turn to prayer and then I see.
Selfishness, self-centeredness, low self esteem, and self-righteousness are all variations of blindness. We get blinded by our selves, by our commitments and by life in general. We become obsessed with independence and we forget that our very breath is a gift from God. We see our trials as darkness and sometimes they are but sometimes we are just too blind to see that God is using that trial to help us become better people.
I have never experienced physical blindness but I have experienced spiritual blindness. I have chosen to ignore the sacred and opt instead for the commonplace. Once I realize how dark things have become I call to Abba for mercy and he restores my sight. I can say with the famous man from Scripture “I was blind but now I see.”
Comments
Post a Comment