Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Blindness, Truth and Hope


John 9:25 - He (a blind man) answered, “Whether He (Jesus) is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.

Glenn Beck? Going blind? We heard him tell us. We heard the pain in his voice. How would you feel if this type of news came to you? It wouldn't have to be blindness but that one thing that would take away your ability to do the thing you enjoy the most. For Glenn...he loves to read. Going blind poses a threat. 

Despite the news he received, he stated he still has hope. And so can we all if we have Jesus Christ in our lives.

Beck has been laying himself open about how he believes if this country doesn't change its ways soon, there will be no hope for us. We have taken God out of most things. We have forsaken the truth for a lie. Gee, that sounds familiar: Romans 1:25 - They exchanged God's truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator...  I realize this is referring to worshipping idols or things rather than God, but I also see this as meaning we should not replace God's truth with our own misconceived truths, our own ways, our own lives. 

Where have the lies come from? They've come slowly and benignly. We have listened to what seems one harmless lie after another and they have been assimilated into our beliefs.  We now wonder how we have gotten where we are. Beck has been exposing these lies. I'm paraphrasing, but he said, "We only have hope if we know the truth." For goodness sake, I've heard that before too.

What message was Jesus trying to convey all throughout His teachings? The only way to the Father is by the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus, as I know I've mentioned more than once, is the Truth. The only hope we have for eternal life is through the Truth of who Jesus Christ is and our relationship with Him. Not our truths, not our ways, not our own lives.

So what has this to do with Beck's going blind? He once was blind, but now he sees. He knows the truth and that has taken away the blindness, both in this country and spiritually. He may be physically going blind (and I pray it doesn't happen) but spiritually he is still able to see. He has the knowledge of God behind him.

When all hope fails in lives or this country, it is my prayer that people will finally see what Truth is. Beck may be in the throes of this bad news, but his attitude is what will get him through. He strongly believes that no matter what happens, with God he will be able to continue...there is hope. God got him through his addiction to alcohol, which he has clearly said he could never have gotten over on his own. So Beck believes that no matter what, he will get through whatever it is he must go through in this next set of circumstances. 

Those who know God have an upper edge because of the truth we have learned. And those of us who know what Truth is have a hope of our own. I'm sure I could be criticized for saying that. I, too, once was blind and now I see. The truth of who Christ is opens eyes. And when His truth penetrates into the recesses of our heart and soul, nothing looks the same. It's absolutely amazing and only something a person can understand when they have experienced and take to heart the power of God in their lives. 

There are many who don't want to listen to Glenn Beck because the truth sometimes hurts. It can cause us to want to retreat into our own little worlds where only good things happen. We can bury our heads in the sand...until it's too late. Doom and gloom or truth? It's all how a person perceives it.

It's the same with Jesus. When He speaks the truth it can convict us of our wrongs. If we hear the Truth we might have to change. Rejection can take place so lives can remain as is and holding on to what seems good remains. If we don't listen to Him personally or to those who speak of Him, we can "play dumb." What's that old saying? "What you don't know can't hurt you." I disagree. What you don't know can hurt you. It's the difference between life and death spiritually. 

Jesus is worth knowing because He is Truth. He's there for the asking, for the receiving and accepting. He will open the eyes of the blind...those people who have not yet had their spiritual eyes opened to His truth, the truth of who He is. We are all born blind and we remain blind until the words of Truth enter in and begin to transform. Those blind eyes are opened and oh, the gloriousness of it all!

I truly empathize for Beck. I'm sure he will find his way through all this and I don't doubt he'll not mince words in any way. Sometimes tragedies bring an even stronger resolve. If Beck truly trusts in God he has all the hope in the world (and beyond) to strengthen him. As he has said, he knows that no matter what happens, there will be a good ending to it. I give him credit for speaking up...for the truth we need to know about our country and speaking openly about God.

Those who know Christ know this is the truth: tragedy or death may come, but what does it matter? If one has a relationship with Christ we can look both in the eye (no pun intended) and see beyond our circumstances here on earth to the day we are received in heaven by Christ's outstretched hand. Earth is only temporary.

I once was blind, but now I see. Nothing can take away my sight spiritually. Physical blindness might only enhance the vision of who the most important Person is. For that matter, any disability can do that. God has admonished us Himself, whether a person wants to take it as truth or not. Remember, He is our Heavenly Father. He longs for all of us to return home to Him. He wishes for us to have the blinders removed against Him. He may have been addressing the priests of the Old Testament, but this word below is for us well. Without knowledge of God we are nothing; we are blind...to the truth.

Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests, because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

1 comment:

  1. So true .. what we don't know can hurt us terribly. This too, with Beck will only make him stronger; I firmly believe that.

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