100 Everyday Cathedrals: Day 57 – Eye Sight

Somehow I’ve been able to go 34 years without ever having my eyes dilated. All of that changed yesterday. Two weeks ago I went to the eye doctor and everything seemed like it was going as usual. The prescription in my right eye changed just slightly but everything else looked good. I placed my order for new lenses and all I had to do was wait for a week for them to arrive. A day later however, my eye doctor called and said, “I was looking at the pictures of your eyes more closely last night and I noticed something in your right eye.” This isn’t a call you want to receive from any doctor. He said, “I want you to come in so that I can dilate your eyes and get a closer look.” Yesterday I went back in and had my eyes dilated for the first time in my life. And, can I just say it was the weirdest experience of my life. It was horrible. Everything went blurry. I couldn’t respond to any text messages, or even see anything on my phone. Not to mention I didn’t have a ride home. So I did what anyone else would do. I put on the awesome sunglasses I was given (as you can see in the picture) and drove home in hopes that I wouldn’t crash into any other cars (but not without stopping for coffee first).

I never realized how much I’ve taken my eye sight for granted. I’d started the day with a small headache, but after leaving the eye doctor and trying to drive home it went from small to excruciating. On my way home I ran into traffic and grabbed my phone to look at the map app to find a way around it, but I COULDN’T!!!! Because my eye sight was too blurry. So I had to use my brain to try and remember the streets that would get me around the traffic. It turned out to be an almost insurmountable task. Blurred vision with a headache made me feel useless. I couldn’t focus. I almost started to panic. It all turned out well. Thankfully I got home safely without any collisions.

As I’ve been able to reflect on this situation, I was reminded of the story when Jesus gave sight to a blind man. This is how the story ends, “Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (Mark 8v25, NRSV)

“….and …..he…saw….everything….clearly….”

We don’t realize how important our sight is until we can’t see clearly. But it’s more than our eye sight. It’s about the deeper things of our lives. When you don’t have clarity in your life it’s like you drift about your days trying to survive, forgetting you were born to thrive. I believe Jesus invites us to follow his way as the best way to live. It isn’t the easiest or most pleasant. Because after all, the way of Jesus is to love your enemies, forgive those who’ve hurt you, accept the “other”, and love without bounds. It’s the things we don’t do very well. But if we trust the one who walked this path and changed the world forever, then maybe we too can change the world.