John 9 tells a story about Jesus healing a man who had been blind since birth. Jesus mixed his own saliva with some dirt, spread the muddy mixture on the man’s eyes, and told him to go and wash it off in a pool. The blind man did as Jesus told and the man received sight. For his entire life, this man had seen nothing but darkness, but Jesus gave him the gift of sight after proclaiming, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).
So often in times of crisis, stress, anxiety or darkness, it is easy to be blinded. The apostle Paul advises God’s people to stay strong and not lose heart when faced with troubles and fear. As followers of Jesus, we must not let the difficulties of life dim our outlook on the future. When we are discouraged by situations beyond our control, such as grief, crisis, election or pandemic it is easy to feel like we are sitting in the dark and question how our situation will ever be resolved.
We all have a choice to change our perspective and choose what we focus our attention on. We can sit with mud on our eyes, or we can wash it off and see the light of Jesus. We have an opportunity as followers of Christ to be a light in the darkness and encourage others through our faith in times of uncertainty. Paul says the problems we see are temporary, but the hope we have in Jesus, while unseen, is eternal. As Christians, we share a bright future in Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Prayer
Lord, renew us day by day, from the inside out, even as the troubles of life skew our vision. Let us not be unsettled by situations outside of our control, or afraid of what tomorrow may hold, because we know that in You we may find eternal peace. Help us to see You more clearly as we open our hearts to the light of Your glory. Amen.
“while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
II Corinthians 4:18 NKJV
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