Do You See Anything? Will You Allow God To Restore Your Sight?

As the busy holiday season approaches, will you allow God to restore your sight to see Him in the midst of it all?

This morning I woke with a sense that the past thirty days were a bit of a blur. Our family is coming off of a month that has been overflowing with commitments, trips, and hosting people in our home. Even in the midst of what was a primarily life-giving stretch of time, I have the sense that it happened so fast that I didn’t see any of it. 

As I sat down to write, I couldn’t get past my unordered thoughts and unhurried mind. The sky was overcast; the ground still wet from yesterday’s rain. At that moment, on my back porch, I looked up to a scene of trees half adorned with varying shades of leaves, the other half lying on the ground. A once full tree line was now bare, and I noticed how far I could see. I also felt an ache over what I had missed. 

Allow God to Restore Your Sight

On the one hand, this month had been full of so much good; on the other, I was feeling grief over having run so fast that we may have missed it all. I sat paralyzed, looking at the blinking cursor on my screen, so I shut my computer and headed for a walk. As I did, the miracle of Jesus healing the blind man came to mind. 

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25) 

For the next hour and a half, I walked around the familiar neighborhood I call home and marveled at the color as if I had seen them for the first time. I stopped to take a few photographs, and this question kept surfacing in my mind, “Do you see anything?” 

That hour and a half, I recalled the previous month. What felt like a blur an hour before had come into focus. I had the gift of time away with my husband for a few days doing what we love to do the most. I snuck out to the mountains to work on a project. We had the chance to open our home, hosting another friend’s dream within our walls, inviting others to see it come to life. A few days alone with my daughter had me marveling over who she is becoming. I was reminded of some of the grief this month carries, too. 

The truth is, I’m still processing this story. I think about the blind man having sight, albeit blurry, for the first time. I wonder how He must have felt when Jesus asked him that question. I think about how, out of compassion, Jesus restored the man’s full sight and how he must have felt when he saw everything clearly for the first time. I think about how I long to see God in all things more than anything and how that must be the same for you too.

As we head into the holiday season, I pray this for you. May you take the time to stop and see God in all things, restore your sight, and may you allow Him to see you. 

In His Word

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)

In Your Life

Keep a journal of five specific things you see each day. Take time to notice something new. Ask yourself where God is in those things. You may be amazed to see how He is in all of our moments, big and small.

We Recommend

A favorite advent book of mine is All Creation Waits. This book invites us into the Advent story through God’s creation. It tells the story of twenty-four animals, telling us how they prepare for winter. It draws us near to the Advent story, exploring darkness and light, waiting and arrival. It is beautifully illustrated and engaging for the whole family. 

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