It would be fair to say that most people would be devastated upon hearing the doctor tell them they are about to lose their ability to see the world, that life as they know it is going to change and cope with the fact that for the rest of their lives, they will have to meander in darkness.
A Guide
As a child, I grew up with my grandmother who was blind. She was not born that way but because of a degenerative eye disease, she lost her sight in 1974. She only got to see three out of close to 40 of her grandchildren. She knew me well but she had not seen me. I used to be so close to her as a child that when I experienced my first earthquake when I was in Fourth grade, I can still remember being worried about her getting washed away by a tidal wave since we lived by the water (There was no tidal wave, Thank God). This bond was forged because I experienced being her guide. I became her eyes when she wanted to go to church and other places.
Being at home was different, however. I was in awe of how she managed getting around the house without knocking things down. Knowing where every turn was by heart was her vision. It really was quite amazing.
That Eureka Moment (sometime in 2010 when I first wrote this)
As I was getting ready for bed, all the lights turned off, I had the idea of closing my eyes which just amplified the darkness and tried to manage to get my way to the bed without hurting myself with the bedpost even with my eyes open. I wouldn’t purposely run into the pointy part of the bed’s foot rails but this happened more than I would have liked especially when I was in a hurry. Laying in bed, I could not shake off the epiphany that was triggered by the pitch blackness.
When one is blind, the norm is pitch black, total darkness. Wherever you turn your head, it really does not make any difference. As for a sense of direction, a walking aid hits any object and it tells the blind person which direction he/she goes without even knowing what lies ahead if it is safe to tread. His/her direction is influenced by “whatever” it is the walking aid hits. (I am not using a guide dog in this illustration since dogs too have eyes.) The sad part is the uncertainty of “whatever.”
When it pertains to spiritual blindness, that “whatever” in literal blindness is pretty much anything that we bump into, an interest, a thrill of something or plainly just something, a philosophy, religion, anything.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 16:25
When one is spiritually blind, they cannot see the obvious line drawn between what is right and what is wrong. Hardly anything in this world is considered wrong anymore- except everything that falls on the “traditional” right. Disbelief in moral absolutes is prevalent and one-sided tolerance permeates society. Most of us also tend to cling to activities we think gives us a sense of direction and therefore it becomes “our” truth. Relative truth runs into a problem when lined up to a standard and so, the current trend is to do away with the absolute standard to avoid this problem.
How can we escape spiritual blindness?
A scientist discovers the one and only cure to a debilitating disease. People are in desperate need of that valuable breakthrough. Withholding that discovery seeing that the whole world is dying is wrong, wouldn’t you agree?
The moment you agree, you are conceding to the fact that morality is absolute since without right and wrong, there is no standard. If you say the scientist can do whatever he deems fit with his cure, then who are you to condemn God to do as He pleases with His creation?
This debilitating disease is called sin. The antidote to man’s sinfulness is none other than a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP and a life changing encounter with JESUS CHRIST.
[Image via Faithlife Bible Screen]
I attend a church that has outreach to the physically blind and visually disabled. Their personalities run a range from bitterness (about their blindness and life in general) to confidence and optimistic hope. It is fascinating to come to know a blind person and to learn from that person about life without sight. J.
My grandmother was surrendered to God’s will. She was a pillar of hope and faithfulness to me. Whenever I had end time thoughts, I would join her in prayer and that was her role in my life. My mother was in the US at that time so my grandmother was like my mother.
It is fascinating and I am glad God gave me the experience.
Like Like Like !!!!!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read, sis.
I have a niece that was born three months premature. Because of the oxygen she required at birth it caused her retinas to detach and she is completely blind. We were talking about the Lord one day and how there are so many different images of Him ( pictures, statues, etc) And she said that is something nice about being blind. She’s never seen those images so she doesn’t have those images in her head!
I am in awe of the relationship you had with your grandma ❤️🙏🏻
Never once have I ever heard her complain about it. She was guided by a spiritual vision (her faith in God that is).
Amen!!!
Sorry to hear about your niece Elizabeth. In a spiritual aspect, she is fortunate not to see the horrors of our world today and the fact that she is untainted by the images men have created to represent God. Those representations are turned to nothing especially when one is convicted by God’s Word, but the sad truth about it continuing to trip up millions (RCC) remain.
Yesssssss! To what you said!!!!