Have you ever known anyone that was blind? I once met a lady that was deaf, dumb, and blind. She was an incredible woman who faithfully attended worship, signed with her hands, and smiled as though she was a normal individual.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to live like that. I appreciate the ability to hear, see, and speak, as I am sure all who have those abilities do. I wonder, however, how well we use those gifts. Do we use them to their best advantages? I wonder if we don’t misuse any or all of these more than using them for the purpose God intended. Notice that God gave us two ears, two eyes, and just one mouth. I think that fact speaks for itself.
As we begin a new year, I want us to think particularly about our eyes and what we will see in 2022. It really depends on us to determine what will catch our attention in the year ahead. We will certainly continue to see people in masks, failed businesses, homeless men and women begging on street corners, and many other signs of the ongoing pandemic. We can easily see that our world has been forever changed. We can, however, just as easily see the good things; and that is what I want us to see.
In the book of First Corinthians, Paul was writing to fellow Christians about collecting money to send to the church in Jerusalem. The churches in Galatia were doing the same thing, taking up money to support the less fortunate. Paul says that he will accompany those whom they, the church in Corinth, select to carry these funds to their fellow Christians. He promises to visit with the Christians at Corinth after making a trip through Macedonia. He says he plans to stay through the winter with them so they can encourage him on his journey. Then Paul says something that gives me the basis for saying that our eyes are for seeing. He says, “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (First Corinthians 16:8-9 ESV).
Paul was looking forward to visiting Corinth, taking their contributions to Jerusalem, and visiting with the Christians in the City of David. His plans were temporarily changed because he “saw” an opportunity. A door was opened, and he saw that there were adversaries in the way of the opportunity. So, he stayed where he could do the most good.
I suggest that we all miss opportunities. We miss them either because we don’t recognize them, or we simply ignore them. I think we ignore them because we see adversaries; and we either don’t want to deal with them or don’t know how.
We need to look for opportunities to share the gospel, opportunities to serve, opportunities to be kind. All of these represent an opportunity to show our Christianity to those with whom we come in contact.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about our example to the world. He said, “You are the light of thee world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
As we begin the new year, may we choose as our primary resolution to open our eyes and see opportunities to be a light to others. After all, Jesus commanded it.
Sandra Oliver