Visually Impaired - Martin Wiles

He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. Isaiah 53:3 NLT

Without them, my world is one big blob of indistinguishable faces and blurry images.

While some wear glasses with plastic frames simply because they think they are stylish, this wasn’t the case when I first got them. Wearing glasses wasn’t popular. The derogatory term for those who did was “four eyes.” I endured the agony of being labeled. I was visually impaired and could do nothing about it but endure the agony of rejection and blurriness.

By the time I was retirement age, things hadn’t changed much. My blurry world remained the same if I removed my glasses. Then, my cornea specialist diagnosed me as possibly having early stages of glaucoma. Additionally, he diagnosed me with dry-eye disease.

Many also rejected the Messiah because they were visually impaired—just not physically. Theirs was a spiritual impairment because they missed such prophecies as this one and majored on ones dealing with His conquering nature.

What caused them to be sighted but blind can bring the same result in our lives. Pride can lead to visual impairment. The ancient Jews were filled with it. Jesus illustrated their prideful nature by talking about a Pharisee and a tax collector who prayed in the Temple. The Pharisee thanked God he wasn’t like other people, especially the filthy tax collector standing in the corner.

Pride leads to trouble every time. It is one of those sins God particularly despises because of its bitter consequences. Pride makes us think we’re better than others for whatever reasons we can concoct. The sin of pride brought Adam and Eve’s downfall and will bring one to anyone who lets it creep into their lives.

Prejudice will also impair our spiritual vision. Most of the ancient Jews thought they were better than their Gentile neighbors. After all, God had chosen the Jews as his special possession. Although God had a unique plan for them, it included bringing Gentiles into God’s fold. Unfortunately, the Jews often ignored God’s plan because they thought they were superior.

Additionally, selfishness impairs our spiritual vision. When life is all about us, we won’t see God’s plan—even when it’s staring us in the face. Selfishness causes us to miss God’s best while keeping the focus on me, myself, and I.

Don’t walk around with spiritual blindness. Let God remove those things that keep you from seeing his best.  

Father, give me the courage to put away those things that would spiritually impair my vision. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.