Blind to What is Plain to See
Have you ever been blind to something that was right in front of your face? This has happened to me in the past and it happened to me again today! The thing I was looking for was right in front of my face. Here it is:
I was looking for a silver key. But because the one key I was looking for had black tape around the top, my eyes were blind to it. I didn’t even see it! Until my wife reminded me that I put the tape on to identify it. The very thing I used to identify it as unique, became a blinder to my eyes to see it!
I had a similar experience a few years ago looking for the hot sauce in the cupboard. It was right in front of my eyes, but I didn’t see it! Why? It was in a box and not in the familiar bottle shape I was looking for:
Do you see the hot sauce? Second shelf – in the box.
This reminds me of two passages. The first comes from Psalm 135, where those who worship idols become like the dead un-seeing blocks of wood that they worship:
“15 The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; 17 They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will be like them, Yes, everyone who trusts in them.” (Psalm 135:15-18)
If you worship idols, you will become like them – blind.
Our sin also limits our ability to see. As Jesus noted in Matthew 13:
13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” (Matthew 13:13-16)
Jesus spoke in parables so that only those who God had called into his kingdom would be able to see the truth in them. Those who worshipped idols were blind to the truth.
The moral to these stories is this:
We need to daily ask God to remove the blinders from our eyes to the truth that he is revealing to us.
Here are some prompts to get us to be present in the moment to see what God has for us:
- Lord, is there someone you want me to talk to right now?
- Lord, is there someone who needs prayer that you can direct me to?
- Lord, am I committing a sin that I’m not aware of?
Have a blessed day!
