She Ain't Blind...

Open thou mine eyes, that I

may behold wondrous things

out of thy law.

Psalm 119:18

Our family looked forward to visits with Aunt Rosie and Uncle Sheridan. They lived so far out in the country that I doubt there was a road map anywhere that would lead one to their farm. They didn't live on a hard road but on one that was mostly a cow path with some gravel spread over it. Driving there in the winter or during April showers was almost an impossibility. They didn't have a driveway...we just pulled up onto the front yard of the house.

Aunt Rosie would come out onto the front porch and welcome us with all the warmth of a country farmer's wife. After general greetings, she would go into the house and prepare a “lunch” that would put any chef to shame, with most of the food having come from her garden and smoke house.

As a little girl in grade school I always found something rather odd when we went to Aunt Rosie's. Always sitting on one end of the porch in a rocking chair was Grandma Mac. (Mac was short for McPherson). She was always seated in her rocking chair napping at times or just looking around at all of the nothing that was usually going on around her. She wore a house dress to her ankles, a bib apron and one of the biggest sun bonnets you would ever see. The brim of the sun bonnet was so wide, one had to stand right in front of her to see her face that seemed to be tucked into the back of the bonnet. She was Aunt Rosie's mother and was treated with the greatest of respect and tenderest of care. When meal time came, Aunt Rosie or Uncle Sheridan would retrieve Grandma Mac to seat her at the table first. Grandma Mac was almost totally deaf and I felt as a little girl that I was being disrespectful by hollering at her just to make myself heard.

It was obvious that Grandma Mac didn't see very well. She had to hold onto someone when walking not just because she was feeble but because it appeared that she was almost blind. I wasn't real sure how blind she was. During one visit, I was in the kitchen with Aunt Rosie because I loved to watch her cook. She could turn what seemed an awful lot of nothing into the biggest bunch of something to be found in anyone's kitchen. I loved the smells of her kitchen with so many things cooking all at once. I loved watching her work quickly and efficiently and wanted some day to seemingly waltz around a kitchen like she did, almost making music as she worked.

On this particular day, I got brave enough to ask Aunt Rosie a question. I asked her, “Aunt Rosie, is Grandma Mac blind?” She paused for a moment as if thinking about just how to answer my question. Aunt Rosie then with a partial smile said something more profound to me than she could ever know and that even I wouldn't grasp a principle from it until later years. She said, “Why Glendarae, she ain't blind...she just cain't see.” I must admit that at the time, I didn't really understand what she was trying to tell me.

A little over a year ago, I had cataract surgery done on both of my eyes. I knew my vision was bad and had been for awhile. It had gotten to where I had become quite hindered in many ways sight-wise, but it had happened so gradually it was hardly noticeable until it got to where I just had to have something done. During the week after my last surgery, Grandma Mac came to my mind. Probably 65 years ago, people may have had cataracts but no one really knew much about those things. Folks just expected that poor vision would come with the aging process.

More than anything, it was Aunt Rosie's comment that really came to my mind, not so much with regard to physical sight but thinking in spiritual terms. I know there are people who have become Christians, who have living within them the Holy Spirit. In many Christians though, there seems to be a kind of blindness. They seem to struggle with things of faith that are relatively elementary, easily seen and discerned. One could ask them about their faith and they would attest to God's saving grace in their lives. I guess one could say that they “ain't blind...they just cain't see.”

You see, really seeing Jesus, minus spiritual cataracts takes effort on a Christians part. It takes time building a relationship with Jesus. There are no shortcuts...the cataracts of sin must be removed on a regular basis or the brightness of life with the Lord can dim, become clouded and even unfruitful. Jesus will remove those cataracts but those with them must be willing participants. When I had my surgery, the surgeon didn't come to my house begging to remove the cataracts from my eyes. I had to recognize the problem and seek the help of an expert. I had to first recognize there was a problem and that something had to be done about it. I also had to decide to have surgery to take care of the problem. No one else could do it for me.

Today, God's desire is that we have a clear view of Himself. We need to see Him clearly in His Word, in times of prayer and in receiving the Word through teaching and preaching. When physical cataracts are removed, it's amazing the change that takes place in ones sight...colors seem much clearer and the sunshine is so bright that sunglasses are necessary for a few weeks while the eyes adjust to the new brightness. 

There's nothing like walking in the freedom and brightness of the Light of the world. There is sin that can be a part of our lives that can take hold so gradually that at first we don't see spiritual light becoming more and more dim. Then one day, we literally wake up spiritually. We know we “ain't blind” but we do recognize that we “just cain't see.” May you and I stay alert to the things of God, keeping our spiritual eyes washed out so that we can have the spiritual insight necessary to walk with the Lord in the full light of His presence.

Come to the Light

Tis shining for thee

Sweetly the Light

Has dawned upon me

...once I was blind,

but now I can see.

The Light of the world

is Jesus.

Dear Father...I pray for a clarity of spiritual sight. I want any spiritual cataracts of sin removed that I might walk in the full light of Your Son. I always want to see You and Your will clearly in my life. Forgive me for allowing the things of this world to dim my vision. Thank You for loving and saving me...for shining Your light into my life. May I walk worthy of this wonderful relationship You have made possible in my life. In Jesus precious name....Amen