Blind sight

On a recent Saturday evening, I found my mind wandering during the sermon as I sat in our chilly sanctuary. I pulled my sweater tighter around me, and glanced around the church, taking in the sights and sounds of the evening. I observed, without really paying attention, the blind woman sitting in front of me. Her granddaughter was sitting next to her, and the little girl leaned against her and closed her eyes. Without hesitation, the woman stretched out her hand and laid it gently on the girl, drawing her into a casual embrace, in a natural movement.

No sight was required to connect with her granddaughter. That reaching out, that touch, was a simple emotional response to the unspoken needs of a child to be connected with her grandmother. So familiar is the girl to her, she didn't even need to look to know where to place her hand to bring about the desired result - a comforting touch exchanged between family members who love each other.

I have contemplated that moment for a couple of weeks now. It has revealed a new understanding for me of the Biblical references to sight being restored. In Isaiah 35:35, we read, "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped." (NIV) This passage is an allegory for what happens when we have faith in God, and how our heart, once blinded by sin and deaf to the calling of righteousness, is suddenly opened to the true way that God has intended for us. Jesus expanded upon that theme when he literally healed the blind and the deaf by telling them that their sins were forgiven, restoring their missing faculties by a simple act of God's grace.

It is easy in this secular time to forget where our blessings originate. It is tempting to believe that we have accumulated our possessions through hard work, or our own abilities. The ways of the world will deceive us, blinding us to the truth of our own sinfulness. Satan is still abroad on this earth, trying to separate us from the God who created and sustains us. Until we have spiritual healing through true faith in God, we will continue to be blind and deaf to the glorious life that God intends for his beloved children.

Let the light of your faith shine for others to see, that you may encourage them on the path of God's grace in their life. Then they, too, will have their eyes opened and their ears unstopped, and share in the life everlasting as a full member of the family of God.