They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” John 9:18-23
Imagine learning your son who was blind since birth could now see. In our day, I imagine slight shock turning to awe turning to tears of joyful celebration. For these parents, however, it was fear and dismay. We find a mother and father in this scene failing to see their child’s miracle because they were too busy wondering if answering the Jewish leaders’ questions would be worth the risk of being spiritually disowned.
We let fear of what others think cloud our vision of what God is doing too. Although God’s working everyday and doing many miraculous things behind the scenes, we are so caught up thinking about ourselves that we miss the beauty of the big picture.
Today, zoom out from your life for a moment to look at yourself from the outside. Do you find yourself turned inward concentrating on how decisions will affect you? Are you able to see God’s movement around you? Then, imagine yourself living the rest of today looking outward – with nothing to lose, nothing to prove. Journal about how that kind of approach to your day would feel.
By Yvonne Biel
