blind on the roadside

I am especially drawn to the stories of the blind in the Gospels. And until moments ago I believed it was because I truly fear losing my sight. I think about how how awful it would be to not see. Not see the trees, the skies, the faces of my loved ones. Not to mention, how on earth would I know when I needed to pluck the hairs out of my chin?

But the reality? The truth behind this fear? I do not fear sitting in the dark...because I have sat there before. And I will sit there again. What I fear is believing the lie that I have any control over navigating through such darkness alone. That on my own, I can find my way. That by my own strength, I can overcome. That I do not need any help at all from anyone. Especially God.

And I suppose you can look with pity on the blind man begging on the roadside, but personally, I find great comfort in sitting right on down next to him. What I would give for an ounce of his faith! What I would give for a small taste of his perseverance! What I would give for the boldness to ignore the crowd rebuking me, and to shout out all the more, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"

If you have not read today's Gospel, look it up now and see for yourself. (Luke18:35-43) Because maybe you are that blind man, sitting in the dark on the roadside. Or maybe you are that crowd trying to keep someone stuck in the dark. But no matter who you are in the story, you ought to know that it is in the darkness, where we find Christ, and it is in the darkness that we are called to surrender, and it is in our own blindness that, if we continue to call out to Jesus and tell Him exactly what what we want Him to do for us, our vision will return. So much will be clear.

We often complicate so many things, including the words of our prayers, when all we need to do is sit on the roadside with our eyes closed tight and our hands wide open, and whisper in confidence, "Lord, please let me see."