When I was a child, I fell out of a lawn chair and hit my head.
I was cross-eyed for two and a half days.
Go ahead, laugh it up – it's somewhat funny, I know.
The thing is, my parents thought I might be like that forever – visually impaired.
When I was in college, grille cleaner splattered in my eyes.
I had to find the sink by myself because I couldn't see for the acid that robbed me of vision.
Those were the closest times I've ever come to being visually impaired – and they weren't fun.
Let's just cut to the chase.
Have you ever wished you were blind?
I know, I know, no one just "wishes" they were blind.
But be honest, has there ever been a moment where you thought "it might be better if I were blind"?
How crazy a statement is that? Crazy, I know. Some may say it's just plain ignorant.
Now I'm sure there are pros to being blind, but it seems that the cons would outweigh the pros.
That's at least what I thought until I met Kahee, Peter, and Maggie Mae.
Kahee was an 18 year old Vietnamese student of mine in 2008. Kahee was born without eyes, so doctors immediately sewed her eye lids shut at birth. She was full of joy, loved to ask questions, and always kept me on my toes. Kahee would come to school some days speaking of how beautiful a day it was and it always left me scratching my head. The best way to explain it is that she could see things that I never could.
Peter was my 33 year old World Race contact in Mozambique, Africa. Peter got sick at the age of 14 and lost his eye sight as many do in Africa due to lack of medication. His family disowned him, all but his father, and told him he must beg because he had no hope of a full life. Peter never begged. He pressed on, went to school, and now teaches English in Mafambisse, Mozambique, where he also takes care of over 20 orphans. On one warm African morning, Peter and I sat down to talk and he told me, "No one is 100% poor. They struggle and suffer to receive what God wants for them." In that same sit-down, I asked him where he got enough income to support all of the kids. His response: "From the Lord! We pray and rely on him to bring it in because He is our great Provision." Peter is somewhat independent and works his fingers to the bone, but he is living proof that we "live by faith, not by sight."
Maggie Mae is the 5 year old daughter (adopted from China) of two of my great friends, Dexter & Patricia Watts. Maggie Mae was was born with optic nerve hypoplasia (underdeveloped eye nerves) – legally blind. Even at 5 years of age, Maggie Mae holds the Light of Life in her heart. I guarantee that you would adore this little girl – not because she's cute, smart, or legally blind, but because the way she grips life and loves it. You can't help but catch a glimpse of Jesus in her eyes… or her voice.
I can't lie to you, I've lived my life as a man with great sight, stimulated by everything visual and it's affected my life as a whole, for better or worse. But getting to know people like Kahee, Peter, and Maggie Mae make me take a step back and evaluate myself once more – faith and all.
Three times in my life I have been told by the Lord, "Colby, if you would quit looking at what's right in front of your face and trust Me, I'll show you what I can do." Three times I gritted my teeth and listened, only to find that I'm better off trusting Him instead of myself.
All in all, we know that losing sight heightens all of our other senses and maybe even our grip on life.
It seems to me that it may have an effect on our faith in the Almighty as well. But in view of the fact that we were given sight on purpose, we can see that there's great value in good stewardship of our sight.
If truly living is living by faith and not by sight, what do you think, would it be better if you were blind?
