And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. John 9:1
In my blog post “Little Things We Take for Granted,” I told the story of a woman who was born with a rare disability: the absence of the sense of smell or congenital anosmia. I explained how that seemingly inconsequential problem nearly cost her, her life as a child. Blindness is a disability also.
Blindness is a severe visual impairment resulting in the inability to see through one’s eyes. This condition can be a birth defect, as in the case of the man born blind. It can also occur later in life due to disease or physical damage to the eyes or other related organs. For whatever reasons a person may be blind, the effect is the same: a life lived in a dark world. A blind person has to depend upon others to ‘see.’
Blindness is debilitating, limiting and it can be dangerous. Despite these limitations, medical science has made advances that can successfully reverse some forms of physical blindness, bringing succour and a new lease of life to many that had no hope of ever experiencing light.
I have heard and sometimes watched on TV when people who had undergone eye surgery would exclaim or revel in ecstasy when rays of light penetrate the bandages covering their eyes, some others would break down in uncontrollable tears when they see light for the first time or their sight is restored after years of visual failure.
There was an interesting case I recently read in the papers of a blind man who got his sight restored after he had an accident! What a miracle. The ability to experience light is an awesome thing, which we often take for granted. Sight is an inexplicable miracle.
Light is what makes sight possible. Blindness occurs primarily because the eyes do not receive light. The person’s ocular organs do not get light. There could be light all around but the organs are not sensitive to light. A blind person does see, but what he sees is darkness.
Blindness is not all physical. It can be mental or emotional. Such as when they say someone is “blind to reason” or “love is blind.” Many times people, who are in love, do not ‘see’ their lover’s faults. I remember a quip I heard from someone. She said, “Love is blind, but marriage opens the eyes.”
I believe, true love is not blind. If you love someone, you should be courageous enough to show him the potential consequence of his attitude, words or actions if they would lead in a wrong direction or not end up well. Moreover, you should do so with uttermost kindness of speech seasoned with grace. Love is not happy when things go wrong. (1Cor. 13:6)
Just as you would want to restrain a blind man from attempting to cross a road that has busy traffic, you would lovingly want to help a person you love from taking decisions, actions, to reconsider attitudes or habits that could destroy his life. True love is not blind to the faults of others, rather it helps them to “see” if they have been blinded by a lack of reason or they are captured by their emotions.
Blindness, we have seen, can be physical, mental or emotional. There is spiritual blindness also. Jesus referred to spiritual blindness when He spoke of the blind leading the blind. The result is that they all end up in a ditch. Nevertheless, the parable could be applied to all areas of life.
When a person does not receive the message of the gospel, which the Bible describes as light, it is because they cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows us what God is like. This is because the god of this world has blinded their minds (2Cor 2:4). When a person is without Christ all he sees is darkness in which he gropes.
The goal of the god of this world is to steal, kill and destroy. His primary method in achieving this is to keep people in the dark, because, “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish” (Prov 29:18, AMP).
Do you have a redemptive revelation of God? Do you know Him? Without knowing God, life is meaningless. Knowing Him is where life truly begins. What a glorious year 2020 can become for you if you open up your heart to receive His light.
Another aspect of light is knowledge. Knowledge is light. It brings development and progress. When you gain effective knowledge that is useful, your life changes with that new knowledge. God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
Is there something you would like to achieve in the year 2020? Do you want to start a new business venture or ministry? How much knowledge do you have about it? It is either you strive to gain adequate knowledge in that area or you will find yourself groping in the dark.
The word ‘destroyed’ means to be cut down; to be brought to silence or to be undone. Your life is too precious to be lived on a trial and error basis, which is what usually happens when one does not know about a venture they have gotten into.
Are you focused? Do you have a clear vision of what you want to see when you get to 31st December 2020; looking back or reminiscing over the year?
Focusing ability is a vital element of good vision. It is about hindsight, insight and foresight. You must put important things into perspective as you move on through the year.
In optometry, the term ‘accommodation’ refers to the ability of the eye to change its focus from distant to near objects and vice versa. The optics of the eye adjusts to keep an object in focus on the retina as its distance from the eye changes.
Yes, set your sights on great goals for the year. However, as you move on, you could gain a better understanding of issues and as a result, need to make certain changes to aspects of your plans. Do not be rigid. Make changes if you have to but do not take your sights off the target.
Whatever vision you have for your life or the year 2020, it must be clear. Look at where you are at, look at what you know now, and be concise about what it is you expect to see at the end and then start the journey to that end today.
With faith in God and being deliberate about where you are going and what it is you want to be, you have great possibilities ahead of you.
Then God answered, “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run (Habakkuk 2:2, THE MESSAGE)
Friend, let me warn you, the end of 2020 is not that far away, it is only a breath away.