And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Mark 8:22-25 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, I confess that sometimes I just don’t get it. I am in real piece of work! I can be so caught up in my preconceived notions of how I think things ought to be, fixated on what I think I see going on that I don’t realize that what I am actually seeing is a figment of my imagination! As a result I misinterpret folks’ acts of corrective love and compassion to be acts of vengeance and spite. I misread genuine care showed towards me as pity and charity. Worse, I depersonalize instances tailor made for my breakthrough to be just another event in a series of disappointments in my life.
Jesus, sometimes I need two or more “touches” from You to clearly make out what is plain to the eyes of those around me, to get the life changing transformation that You are manifesting in my life!
So today, I first want to thank You for all of the people You have raised up in my life who have the love and courage to tell me my deficiencies and bring me to You. Without them challenging me to embrace the fact that my blindness is not normal though it is my status quo, I might continue to wallow in it. Forgive me for my hesitancy to embrace them and thank You for the tenacious love-spirit You have given them for me.
But more importantly, I want to thank You for not giving up on me. Thank You for being willing to touch me two, three, or four gazillion times until I get it, no longer “not seeing” or “incorrectly seeing,” but clearly perceiving You and what You are doing in my life. Forgive my hardheadedness. I sometimes just can’t get right. But I am so eternally grateful today that You are a God who is patient with this raggedy work in progress! And I am so thankful that one day You will complete it (Philippians 1:6) to Your glory! Amen!