When I was in seventh grade, I had a terrifying computer science teacher. He was perpetually grumpy, cranky, and never smiled. From the beginning we learned that we were not allowed to ask questions of our peers, lest we risk them leading us astray with their incorrect knowledge. Yet at the same time, we were not to ask the teacher questions, lest we risk being mocked in front of the class. The room was always silent, and the bathroom pass was a typewriter. No joke. A real heavy-duty typewriter with a little tag attached that read, “Bathroom Pass.”

I was an excellent student and normally did fine figuring things out, but this class was a real struggle, mainly because I couldn’t read the board. At the start of each class, the teacher would write out the lesson on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom. Once he finished, everyone would begin completing the prescribed assignment on their computers. Somehow, I ended up seated towards the back of the room and I had no idea what was on the whiteboard. I thought it was a bad whiteboard marker. I thought it was his handwriting. But no one else seemed to have the same problem and I was petrified to ask for help.

When we discovered partway through this term that I needed glasses, it was miraculous. With my new glasses on, the whiteboard suddenly made sense. It wasn’t gibberish or chicken scratch. It was a complete lesson plan that I could accomplish once I was able to see it. I can’t begin to describe the relief I felt when I sat down with my glasses and could see. I only wish I had learned I needed glasses sooner. I could have saved my 13-year-old self some horrible angst.

In the Gospels, Jesus healed several blind people. Their stories are some of the miracles we still talk about today. When I received my glasses, it felt like a miracle. I was not only given sight, but also confidence, assurance and peace. As we view the world today, perhaps we can consider what it would look like if we had miracle vision. To see it as if for the first time. The tree on our street might look a little greener. The man asking for money on the street corner might seem more human. The blankets on our bed might appear more loved and valued. God can create miracles in our soul when we view the world through renewed sight. 

Experiencing GOD:

• Pay attention to what you see. View it as if for the first time. Allow God to bring a different type of vision to your eyes.
• Ask God to help you see the world as He does. Journal or take note of what change you experience.

Supporting Scripture: 

“Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, ‘Can you see anything now?’

The man looked around. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.’

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.” (Mark 8:23–25)