Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Acknowledging Blindness and ASKING for Sight

So it's Day 2 of my new blog challenge, the first official day where I actually have to come up with something to say, rather than just introducing my topic and telling you what I'm going to tell you. Today I have to have something to tell you.

My toddler has been asleep for over an hour, and I've been procrastinating. Now that naptime is half over and my writing time is rapidly dwindling, the pressure is on. I ask myself, "Have I seen Jesus yet today? How? What does that even mean anyway? What am I going to write about?"

And it occurs to me: Have I *asked* to see Jesus today? Have I asked God to open my blind eyes?

This is the story of my life: I rush ahead, believing the lie of self-sufficiency.

It isn't long before my delusional belief that I am capable crumbles.

I realize that I am helpless and hopeless without the strength God provides. I am keenly aware that I am needy, that I can't do this on my own, that I am not enough.

Too often, it stops there--just a mental acknowledgment of the facts, an inner monologue about my sorry state.

Once again today, I am reminded how critical it is to move from monologue to dialogue. Sudden awareness of my blindness is not meant to lead me merely to lament my blindness. It is meant to lead me to cry out to the One who restores sight to the blind!

This journey to see, after all, is a *fight* to see. We have an enemy who has everything riding on our failure to see the Beautiful One who can save us: "...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

And what blind person can cure herself? Left to ourselves, we are indeed hopeless. BUT! When we cry out for help, our cries are heard by a sovereign God who delights to open blind eyes--who sent His Son to do just that:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
     because he has anointed me
     to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
     and recovering of sight to the blind,
     to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
So I begin in the only appropriate way: with a posture of humility, remembering that I have nothing valuable to say in and of myself, that my natural state is one of blindness, that I need help to see Jesus.

And with a heart of hope, trusting that when I ask Him, "the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous" (Psalm 146:8)--and clothed in Christ, I am righteous.

Take a moment even now to join me in asking: "Lord, open my eyes. Enable me to truly see the beauty and glory of Jesus!" And then be encouraged by His promise:
"Strengthen the weak hands,
     and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
     'Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
     will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
     He will come and save you.'
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
     and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
     and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
     and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
     and the thirsty ground springs of water..." 
(Isaiah 35:3-7)

 [This post is part of the series "31 Days of Seeing Jesus"--click here for a list of all posts.]

1 comment:

Jenn said...

Amy I love love this. Thank you for the reminder of how important it is to move from monologe to dialouge.. that's awesome!