By Richard Boone
It was a busy afternoon as Becky and I scurried around with last-minute details before “Jr.,” our third child, arrived. We needed a few items at Sam’s, and while we were there, we ate lunch (our girls love their pizza!). A family at a nearby table finished their meal and gathered their belongings to continue shopping. We were caught off-guard by the fact that the mother, who was carrying a three-month old boy, was totally blind. Our hearts broke. It was all we could do to maintain composure.
I thought about what she would never see with her children, especially that baby. She would never see his first smile, nor the gleam in his eye of the first Christmas he realizes something special is happening. She won’t see school pictures, nor his various forms of handiwork. She won’t see the anticipation and enjoyment of a birthday party, or the proud glow of a driver’s license picture. She won’t see commencement exercises (high school/college), weddings, or her grandchildren. She will, indeed, miss a lot that we take for granted.
But then I thought about a greater blindness. What about those who, with physical vision, never really see what life is all about? We know people who are in the darkness of sin, being blinded by the god of this world and ignorance (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 4:18). Jesus is the great light that shines in the darkness (Matt. 4:15-16), and we can be lamps by our personal godliness (Matt. 5:13-16; Phil. 2:15). In our collective work we can be pillars of truth for our respective communities (1 Tim. 3:15). As much as we strive to do in holding forth the word of truth, the saddest reality is dealing with those who are blind because they refuse to see (Matt. 13:13-17).
Then a thought occurred to me: Am I blind? Am I letting opportunities slip by to be guided by God’s lamp (Ps. 119:105, 130)? Am I blinded by the glitter of this world so that the word is choked from affecting me (Mark 4:18-19)? Does my light shine to lead people to Christ or do I hide it under a bushel? Suddenly, the possibility of that great blindness became personal! God, help me not to be short-sighted, even to blindness, but to grow and live in such a way to make my calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:5-11). Help me to help others do the same.
Yes, I saw a blind lady today, and she helped me to see so many important lessons.