Cover Story

Say No to Blindness

Sight is something we take for granted. As clichéd as this phrase is, it holds true for all who have never experienced the loss of sight in some way. Some are so unfortunate as to have lost their sight because of an accident or a disease. They know what it’s like to see and therefore know what they are missing. Even those who never knew sight would not take it for granted if at some time they gained it. But those of us who see, and have always seen, take it for granted. We depend on our sight all the time, and since it has never failed us, we put blind faith in it. Isn’t it interesting that having sight has made us blind to the idea of not having it?

Something missing from the world today is broad sight. The lack of foresight, hindsight, peripheral sight—these are the most significant problems in our world. And since about 89 percent of the world is religious, it is safe to assume that these problems are well represented within the various religious circles.

Are we blind to our lack of spiritual, emotional, and social sight? I know I am. My spiritual journey is not like that of the blind man who received sight and rejoiced forevermore and did the Lord’s work. That man “immediately . . . followed [Jesus], glorifying God” (Luke 18:43). My spiritual journey can be likened to a blind man who was healed and then put out his own eyes intentionally. And it happens more than once. This cycle repeats itself.

Why are we so spiritually blind? What has induced our lack of sight?

And why are the ones who have been healed and rejoice in it ultimately rejected? It is like a town that is run by blind people, populated by blind people, and when someone is healed and can see, the blind throw them out with the lepers. A few people come forth who preach acceptance and love. These people are most often thrown out. It’s not always the case, but they often become the outcasts, looked down upon for accepting an opposing group rather than looking upon that group with disdain, and for not participating in the hurtful acts committed by both sides.

Wasn’t Jesus Himself almost thrown off a cliff by the people of His hometown (Luke 4:28-30)? Wasn’t He killed in part for loving the unloved?

Called to seeing

It is the call of a Christian to be like Christ. Can we not accept being thrown out? As for me, I admit that many times I have chosen to be blind like the rest for fear of being an outcast, or because I thought it was part of the religion I adhered to.

Many of us are born into spiritual blindness. We are expected to carry on a tradition of blind trust in a series of blind traditions that lead to a blind generation of “Christians” who are blind to the world around them. That’s a lot of blindness. I don’t know about you, but I’m not comfortable with a church that has gone blind.

Now, this may seem like a very cynical view. One could point out that my view is blind in itself toward the existence of some sight within our church. However, I ask you to view this not as an attack on our church but as a call to awaken ourselves to the blindness that may exist. We must choose for ourselves the sight we want, and not allow ourselves to be made blind by others who came before us. That’s what life in this world was meant for. God gives us the will to choose whether to see Him or be blind to Him.

I’m afraid to say it, but for the majority of my life I have chosen to be blind to God. In one way or another, either through blindness toward the entire church or blindness toward a certain group of people, I have chosen not to see God. There have been certain points of sight that I’ve remembered and held on to, but I must admit that the majority of my walk with God has been stumbling in the dark. And to my dismay, I realize also that I have led other people down my winding path. “If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

I don’t want to stumble. I want to follow a straight path that I can see. But there is no way to do that on my own. Can someone who is blind heal himself? For that matter, can any kind of disease be healed by the person afflicted? No, there is always need of a doctor, or a medicine, or a surgery. We need God’s help. He is the only one who can cure our blindness. But we must ask. Do doctors just go up to people and cure them? No, the sick one must go to the doctor, inform them of the affliction, and then accept the treatment the doctor offers with faith that it will work. It’s like that with God. We must go to Him, recognize and admit our sins of blindness, and accept His treatment with faith that He knows best.

I want to see.

Brent Weldemere is a Californian with a passion for seeing God clearly.

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