There are few things more comforting than to have a conversation with someone about something that you feel makes you appear a little ehhh not normal and they actually listen to you without this oh bless your heart look in their eyes. Then they actually take action according to what you just shared with them. It’s like a breath of fresh air!
I have not been to the eye doctor in about 12 years… now I have desperately needed to go… but visit after visit of eye doctors and eye nurses talking to me like I was an idiot who had no clue about the ability of my own eyes… just led me to just walk away and say… I will see what I can see and that’s all that I will see.
I don’t know how my brain connects my mind and eyes to make them do what they do, but it does. I don’t always have to know why something does what it does too know fully that it is indeed doing it.
I do not know how the sound of my voice travels through this little hand held device, through the air, attached to no cords, and right into the right hand held device, according to what numbers or letters I pushed. The thought of it can be really mind blowing if I choose to just dwell on it… even knowing the mechanics of it all, the correct technical terms and such, it’s still crazy that it works. So even if I don’t know exactly how something does what it does, it doesn’t mean that I am not aware that its doing it.
Twelve years ago at my final straw eye doctor appointment, I tried to explain how my eyes worked.
Before dilation the eye doctor would say, well its not that bad… then after dilation, he would say, oh, I see.
Then it would be at least three days before the dilation would wear off, then another couple before my glasses came in, and then when I would put my glasses on, I could not see with them on… or off.
I would return to the eye doctor and explain, to no avail, so I would just quit wearing them
Then I tried contacts. To which I had a reaction to the solution. To which the eye nurse, got irritated and told me there was nothing in the solutions to give me a reaction… even though I sat right there before her with burning watering eyes… so I quit wearing the contacts. I would see what I could see and that’s all that I would see.
Twelve years and multiple bruises later from running into walls, doors, shoes, tables, etc. I returned to the eye doctor.
So what do my eyes and my brain do?
Well, if my brain knows what something is supposed to say… I can see it. The latest example of what I am talking about… Sunday we were on our way to the bowling alley after church. I am driving looking for the sign, but it had been a while since I had been the way we were going and signs and buildings had changed. I had already slowed to a little below the speed limit as I searched for the familiar sign, but I was afraid I would not see it soon enough to be able to safely make the stop to turn in… then my excited nine year old says, Oh look there it is! The moment my brain became aware of it I could see the sign plain as day.
My eyes have worked very hard over the years to cooperate with my mind. Their muscles are quite strong and overworked, which causes me a many a headache. Which is also why they trip up the eye exam so bad, but I had never had an eye doctor who would take the time to listen to me and work with me until Monday (Of course I am sure the fact that I had a few sisters in Christ praying over the visit had something to do with that).
1) He believed me when I told him that I could not see for at least three days after eye dilation.
2) He believed me when I told him about my eye muscles and how if I knew what something was supposed to say I could see it.
3) He did not laugh at me when I told him that I had a underlining concern that if he dilated my eyes I feared that once those muscles were relaxed like that, they would never be able to return and I would be blind.
He took the time to develop a plan that would work for me and my situation. By the look on the face of the young girl who was helping me pick out my frames and order my prescription… I could tell my situation was a first for them.
As I thought of the relationship between my eyes and my brain… I thought of the relationship between faith and the gospel.
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?
Romans 10:14
We share the Gospel with everyone… even those that are appear to be blind as a bat to it… because how in the world can they ever see it if we never point it out to them.
I once was blind, but now I see…
We study the Word of God so that God can grow us and show us things about Himself that we have never seen before… but how can we see them, if we don’t know they are there? And how can you know that they are there if you never open His Word to discover them?
How can God take you down a new journey into His glorious majesty if you only travel down the same familiar roads… yes the Romans Road gets you to salvation… and John 3:16 is the big flashing sign that says Start Here, but have you been down the paths of Habakkuk and Micah and Nahum and Leviticus and Numbers and Ezra and Amos…
Oh my! God has so much to open our eyes to!
Trust me, our God believes us when we say we don’t understand… and He patiently works with us as He brings us into understanding…
He also knows when our faith muscles are working hard and growing stronger as we strive to focus on what we begin to learn about Him in His Word… He also understands that sometimes faith gets “overworked” and we feel like our heads are going to explode as we try to take all of Him in… and He knows when to slow us for a moment so we can rub it all in.
He also does not laugh at us when we explain our fears of His hand upon us… it can be scary thing as we place our lives in the path of obedience before our God… that’s why faith is a mandatory requirement. Sometimes we can even be scared to open His Word… scared to learn about ourselves through the eyes of a knowing God. It can be scary to open up His Word and as you read it to discover things about your God and the history of His hand that doesn’t seem to make sense to us… especially when we begin to see that it is different than what we have been taught all our life and we have to choose to take God at His Word or to remain in the shadow of what we have always been told… We want to say, I will see what I can see and that’s all that I will see.
However, the fact just simply is that, some things we just can’t see until someone shows us they are there. So go ahead and take the plunge, open the Word, and let God have His way with you. Sit before Him, and let Him shine His Light right into the eyes of your soul… He has a plan, just for you, just for your situation, He will take the time to listen and He will take you one step at a time into His glory… He wants you to see.
So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.
Revelation 3:18
Sometimes the scariest and most stubborn obstacle to overcome is just to admit that we are blind (John 9:39-41). But oh, once we admit, and once we see, how amazing the freedom of truth and sight can be… seeing as we are seen… knowing as we are known… how beautiful grace becomes! Amazing!