Reflection
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.
John 9:1-41
Blindness is a spiritual metaphor. How often our misery is caused because we cannot see reality and have layered it with feelings, hurts and unwillingness to accept our own responsibility. We wander around in mental darkness and cannot see through the obstacles we hold onto so tightly. Willful ignorance is the cause of our blindness. We cannot seem to open our minds and take time to learn the truth. This can be true privately and publicly. We are unhappy and alone. Then something happens that awakens us, an insight, a concerned word of truth, a loving presence and, we get the strength to open our eyes and accept the facts. The eyes of our spirit are opened and we see. We become whole again and relief sets us free. Light has shone in the darkness.
Prayer
Lord. That I may see.
Action
What causes the blind spots in your life? How unaware are you of your own responsibility for them? Are you open to insights and help?
Suggested Reading
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
John 9: 1-41
This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matthew 13:13
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
Søren Kierkegaard
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
Helen Keller
Nobody sees anybody truly but all through the flaws of their own egos. That is the way we all see …each other in life. Vanity, fear, desire, competition– all such distortions within our own egos– condition our vision of those in relation to us. Add to those distortions to our own egos the corresponding distortions in the egos of others, and you see how cloudy the glass must become through which we look at each other. That’s how it is in all living relationships except when there is that rare case of two people who love intensely enough to burn through all those layers of opacity and see each other’s naked hearts.
Tennessee Williams
Just because you are blind, and unable to see my beauty doesn’t mean it does not exist.
Margaret Cho
Living is easy with eyes Closed.
John Lennon
I think we all suffer from acute blindness at times. Life is a constant journey of trying to open your eyes. I’m just beginning my journey, and my eyes aren’t fully open yet.
Olivia Thirlby
Most of us have such psychological “blind spots,” aspects of our personalities that are obvious to everyone but ourselves.
Martha Beck
The biggest catastrophes that we’ve witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and out there, but that we are willfully blind to.
Margaret Heffernan
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous Huxley