Blinded

He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

John 9:25 NASB95

I had eye surgery the other day. It was my fifth. In 2012 I developed a Vitreous-Macular attachment that caused the vision to be distorted in my left eye. It was like being in a funhouse full of mirrors, everywhere I looked. And it lasted all the time, not for a few minutes at an amusement park. In 2013 I had my first eye surgery to correct that problem. Then I had cataract surgery for the cataract that formed. Then I had such distinct yellow vision in my right eye I had surgery on my right eye to remove that cataract. Then I had a revision of that surgery to correct a problem, four eye surgeries in 8 months.

Five years later, the vitreous in my right eye partially collapsed. My ophthalmologist said it would finish collapsing in about a year. It did not. Soon I saw a line down the middle of my right eye. My ophthalmologist said to give it time, it would collapse. At the next year’s eye exam, it was a thicker line and blurry, and again he said to give it time. Year after year the story was either: a. give it time, or b. there is nothing that can be done. Each year the line got thicker and the vision blurrier.

I never really noticed the progression of the blindness that was occurring. I just worked around it. It was frustrating, to say the least, but I was older and many people my age have diminishing sight. Then my ophthalmologist retired, and my optometrist stopped taking my insurance. I was in a bad spot, I had to find new eye doctors, and fast.

Enter the new optometrist. “That is a huge floater in your eye,” she said. “It needs to be removed.” I had two thoughts, either she knows something my retired ophthalmologist didn’t know, or she is unaware that nothing can be done. As it turned out, she knew something my ophthalmologist didn't know. She made a referral that day to see a retinal specialist. I saw him and the collapsed vitreous sack was removed. End of the story, I could see again!

I had a few thoughts, YEAH medical science and YEAH God for giving people the ability to develop and pursue medical development to help people like me see.

Then I began to think about the spiritual ramifications of the experience, and it began disturbing my mind. I had no idea how much vision I had lost until my eye healed. I went from seeing double on bad days, to 20/20 vision with my right eye.

It occurred to me that it was a lot like our lives before God. We start our Christian Walk with 20/20 vision. Over time the floaters of sin, little things that happen in everyday life, begin to smudge our vision. A missed Sunday here, a slightly “white” lie, a moment of lust there, and the list goes on to include a cross word, and hateful second, a refused opportunity to show Christ, and more. Little foxes spoiling the vine.

"Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom."

Song of Solomon 2:15 NAS95

Dear friend, I don’t think I need to take this any further. My sense is that if you have read this far today, you are fully aware of the “floaters” in your spiritual eye. I know a heavenly ophthalmologist, named Jesus, that can clear up that problem for you. What is keeping you from having the floaters removed?