Open My Eyes

We value our eyes and our eyesight. A survey by The University of Chicago Medical Center regarding which of the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) would be the hardest to lose revealed, not surprisingly, that a large majority replied sight. Most of us would probably agree with that result. We value our gift of sight because we can take in pictures of the beauty of creation, see the faces and features of our loved ones, and enable our steps to be safer to name but a few of the reasons we value our sight.

Sometimes our sight starts to fade or diminish. Recently, my wife has had cataract surgery on both of her eyes. The full healing will take another two or three weeks, but already she is aware of a much greater range of vision and a sharpness of color, brightness, and clarity. She is glad and thankful she chose to have the surgery and for the results. I will probably hear that I need the same surgery before long. I am encouraged by my wife's experience, but the truth is, I am a wimp when it comes to my eyes. However, the desire for continued and accurate vision could push me over the edge one day.

Even with the sharpness of vision, we may still miss seeing many things. Sometimes our vision is limited because we are only looking at our world with our eyes. To clearly see everything of importance we must also see with our hearts. Without the use of our hearts involved in the vision process, we are prone to ignore many people because of their appearance, their need, or their status. Likewise, we can miss seeing situations because to see would interfere with our schedule, our mindset, or our bias or prejudice.

One of the most meaningful hymns is one written by Clara H. Scott in 1895. Her hymn, "Open My Eyes that I May See," points out our need to see beyond simple things but rather to see the more difficult such as truth and God's purpose or will for our lives. Here are the words to the first verse:

"Open my eyes, that I may see

glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

place in my hands the wonderful key,

that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

ready, my God, Thy will to see;

open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine!"

In Luke 18, Jesus was near the town of Jericho when He came upon a blind beggar sitting beside the road. When the beggar was told that it was Jesus who was passing by, he began to call out for Jesus to not pass him by. Luke 18:40-43 records what took place then.

"And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to Him.

And when he came near, He asked him, 'what do you want me

to do for you?' The beggar said, "Lord, let me recover my

sight.' And Jesus said to him, 'Recover your sight, your faith

has made you well.' And immediately he recovered his sight

and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people, when they

saw it, gave praise to God."

I have always been intrigued with Jesus' question to the blind beggar. The beggar didn't ask for money or food or shelter. He asked for his blindness to end and his sight to be restored. This is another indication of how important we value our vision. But there is more. When his sight is restored, he doesn't take off running to see family, friends, or the beauty of the world. The Bible says that he followed Jesus and glorified God. The beggar had his sight restored, but more importantly, he used that sight to see the truth that was more important than anything else he could have gone to see - he saw Jesus.

How are we using the great gift we have received of sight or vision? Are we using it mainly to watch sports on television? Or maybe we are using it to capture memory pictures of vacations and tourist locations? Perhaps we are focusing mainly on immediate and extended family? While there is nothing wrong with those things, when do we use the God-given gift of sight to focus on His truth, His will, and all the people and needs that He brings across our paths each day?

And Jesus asks - "What can I do for you?"

And do we say - "Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus." "Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me."

What would you say today?