“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
John 9 tells of a Jesus miracle surrounding blindness. The disciples notice a man born blind. There is no record that the man asked for help but Jesus reaches into his life, spits on the dirt and makes mud that he puts on the man’s face and tells him to go wash. The man does and like at creation when God formed people out of the dust, this man can see. Wow. I would suggest that we are all blind in someway and it is only as Jesus reaches out to us and creates the capacity to see that we can wash and see.
Reactions to Jesus miracle came from several directions. Was the man blind because of sin, ask the disciples. Was the miracle really from God as it was done on the Sabbath, ask the religious folk. The parents refuse to commit and refer the question to their son who “is of age.” Jesus’ answer to the disciples was that God is going to use the problem to display his might, his glory. “Seeing” is a word that can refer to observation but it can also refer to insight and understanding the meaning of what is happening before us. Just because we see, does not mean we recognize the hand of God involved in the events.
We can be blind because of physical experiences in our lifetime. The bitterness of unexpected deaths, broken promises, or actions of imperfect people in our lives can leave us with a sour taste in our mouth. It is easy to become cynical and untrusting of a God we cannot see. Others are blinded because God often works outside our boxes, the rules we have of how we think God should work. The foreign believer coming into our midst is often mistreated. The wayward teenager that has a “conversion experience” is probably just being emotional. The recovered addict is doubted. Many are slow to believe God has really acted in a situation. And then there are the people who are like the parents. They sit on the fence and do not want to commit to a faith that might bring ridicule, censure or expulsion. It is easier to pass the buck. Let the other guy speak.
The healed man simply says: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” We do not have to be seminary graduates or great theologians to talk about our faith. We do not need to have a fancy and dramatic conversion story. Sharing our faith is simply saying how we went from being blind to seeing when Jesus came into our lives. The simple, the more authentic, the more “spit and dust” is often the most transparent and real story that needs to be told. It is to God’s glory, not ours. Blessings as you share your story.
On the Way to Wonder 