HE SAYS: Miracle Worker

My thoughts today are focused on a personal epiphany.  I hope it helps you as it helped me.

I am always thrilled by the moment in the movie, The Miracle Worker, when Helen Keller makes the connection between spoken words and the material world.  “Waaaa Waaaa  Waaater”,  She stammered, and then proceeded to start touching everything in her world, asking for the words.  The journey to that joyous moment had been long and difficult, but I have really enjoyed the thought that Annie Sullivan expressed her love for Helen by persevering through Helen’s blindness and ignorance.  What a blessing to the world!

Spiritual blindness is no less profound.  One of my favorite stories is in Mark 10: 46-52.

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.   When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”   Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”   Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”  So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.   “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”  “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”  (NIV1984) 

This story contains all the miracles of salvation:  grace, mercy, and sudden sight.  I was once a blind beggar like Bartimaeus, and God saved me.  He gave me vision, wisdom, and understanding beyond what I had ever known.  Now, I know so many people who are living in my former condition.

I yearn to help them.

However, ONLY Jesus can miraculously restore sight to the blind.

My only option is to love them like Annie loved Helen.  I must persevere through their blindness and ignorance in the hope that I can share that moment of new life with them.

Lord, please teach me to love as you love, and to see as you see, so I may patiently persevere for the salvation of another.