What Are You Missing?
Bob Evans was blind for the first 51 years of his life. He lived in a dark world filled with sounds and smells, but not sight. Then, a new surgical technique was pioneered and his particular condition made him an excellent candidate for the procedure. The surgery was performed and for the first time in his life, he could see. Bob wrote this about his experience of seeing things for the very first time:
"I couldn’t believe yellow. I never dreamed that yellow was so, well, yellow. And red. Red is my favorite color. It’s so brilliant and warm and penetrating. Then there are the airplanes flying high in the sky, stretching their vapor trails behind them. I love watching the airplanes. And the sunsets. There are times when I just sit outside to drink in the beauty of a sunset, followed by a night filled with the brilliant light of the stars, blinking in the heavens. All my life I was surrounded by beauty and I never realized it until now. I didn’t even know what I was missing."
Many live lives of desparation and hopelessness while they are surrounded all around by the mercy and grace of God. They are "spiritually blind" and do not realize what they are missing. Yet, we who have "eyes to see" have been given the privilege of sharing with them the "eye opening" truth of the gospel. Why would we want to leave anyone in darkness when Jesus can open their eyes to the light?
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:1-7 ESV)
