Scripture:

He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” - John 9:25 

Devotional:

Imagine you wake up one morning...you roll out of bed, and walk downstairs to start your pot of coffee.  You sit down at your kitchen table and begin scrolling through the emails on your smartphone to get a jump start on your work for the day.  The coffee machine beeps to signify that aromatic cup of dark roast is ready for your delight.  You pour the hot liquid into your oversized mug and sit back down to continue scrolling, but now you plan to check the news feeds - don’t want anyone to think you’re ignorant. 

Only, there seems to be a problem.  You see the dreaded smartphone freeze screen, and then, it goes completely dark.  No touch of the screen or button push seems to give any life to the phone.  Your pulse rises, and you feel heat building in your body; and, it’s not because of the coffee.  Agitation sets in. 

Your spouse comes down the stairs and greets you, but you aren’t able to muster a “good morning,” because, well, your phone just broke, and your day is now starting all wrong. The annoyance and worry reel begins to play...when will you have time to have it repaired? How much will this cost?  How will you lead that conference call when you’re out of the office?  The list goes on.  This is going to be a giant pain.  Your frustration intensifies and morphs into anger. 

Your spouse tries to engage you but unable to squelch your anger, you start misdirecting it, making short, snarky comments in response.  As a result, the damage spreads far beyond the smartphone.  And, it’s only 7:00 am. What a day this will be. 

Now, let’s hit the rewind button.  Only this time when you encounter the phone’s dark lifeless screen, you welcome the invitation to be still and silent in God’s holy and healing presence. 

You put down the phone, and you close your eyes.  You thank God for permission to take a break.  To not feel compelled to read the news, to not worry about your conference call and emails, to not be at the mercy of your phone’s notification pings.  You breathe deeply and give thanks for the gift of life, of mercy, of rest and for this robust cup of coffee.  You keep breathing, and keep talking with God.  Your heart rate lowers, and you feel a warm presence surrounding you; and, it’s not because of the coffee.  You raise a hallelujah to Jesus for the feeling of peace that overwhelms you in this moment.  This peace deepens and morphs into love. 

Your spouse enters the kitchen and says “good morning,” and this time, you open your eyes, grin from ear-to-ear, and now radiating warmth yourself, you return the greeting and add an “I love you; I’m so blessed to share this home with you.”  As a result, the love spreads far beyond your kitchen.  And, it’s only 7:00 am.  What a day this will be.

The first scenario demonstrates what can happen when we are blinded by the darkness that comes with separation from God.  We experience frustration, anger or maybe even hopelessness, and these feelings bleed onto those around us causing reverberations of pain.  But as highlighted in the second encounter, there is good news for us all; this good news is found in the light of Jesus.  It’s a light so radiant and bright that it can heal and transform our hearts and emotions. 

Jesus was and, still today, is a healer.  We read about His miracles in the Bible.  We pray for His healing when we are sick and broken.  We give thanks for His healing when we experience relief and recovery.  What we frequently forget, though, is that His healing reaches far beyond our physical manifestations of pain and disease.  We forget about the heart healings that happen inside of us everyday that result in reverberations of love. 

Yes, Jesus’ healing begins within us.  It begins with that deep heart and soul healing that God so graciously offered to us through His one and only Son.  That day on the cross, Jesus healed us all, and time spent in His presence changes us from the inside out.  

Though in this world, we still have spiritual, mental and physical sufferings, when we surrender to, truly accept and embody the healing of our souls that took place on Good Friday, we find the strength to cope with these earthly hardships.  I’m not saying this comes easily; it can be quite difficult.  But, the effort is rewarded, and as we find “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” and “guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,” we find a supernatural comfort that overwhelms the physical and mental pains (Phil 4:7). 

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sending forth”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” - John 9:1-7 

Prayer:

When Jesus offers us the opportunity to wash the dirt from our eyes, I pray that like the blind beggar we can all accept this invitation.  I pray that we recognize that it’s not just about refreshing our outlook, but also includes a call to go forth and display God’s works.  I pray that we can all see and embrace the healing that Jesus has already provided, and rather than be blinded by darkness, by rage, frustration or pain, that we can instead be blinded by Jesus’ light, such that the darkness melts away.  Lastly, I pray that with this faith, we can go forth to emanate His works of peace, hope, healing and love to others.  What a day that will be.  Amen.

 Written by Rachel Kearse. Rachel is the nursery childcare provider on Sundays, the leader of the Moms with Littles group and she also teaches YogaFaith here at Arcola. She is married to Matthew and they have two daughters, Stella and Olivia.