September 20, 2007
If recent opinion polls are any indication, I am not alone in believing that of all the five senses, losing one's sense of sight would be the most difficult to come to terms with, and learn to do without. Although every one of the five senses is prized by mankind, each allowing us to experience the world God has created whether by touching a rough piece of cold marble, smelling fresh roses in bloom, or tasting a ripe peach in the heat of summer, it is the sense of sight that enables us to experience it on a much larger scale, and appreciate the vastness, as well as intricacy of His masterpiece.
Losing one's sense of sight is something that one cannot imagine unless he has lived through it, having once been able to behold the beauty that is creation, now living in perpetual darkness, with fleeting memories of what once was taken for granted, becoming blurred and uncertain with each passing day.
Men and women the world over go to extremes to keep their sense of sight, from the more old world, sage, and somewhat comical practice of consuming large quantities of carrots that their eyesight might not deteriorate further, to the more modern and scientific methods of cataract surgery, contact lenses and eye glasses. Everyone wants to see, whether a sunset, or a sunrise, men want to keep their sense of sight, the sharper the better.
Even though physical blindness is a terrible thing to contend with, spiritual blindness is all the more terrible because the ramifications of spiritual blindness echo beyond this present life.
As absurd as the idea of someone choosing physical blindness may be when they possess perfect vision, the idea of someone choosing spiritual blindness is all the more disturbing. I have come to believe that every soul, which has found repentance, that has found the narrow path, and has known the love of Christ Jesus, begins their walk with clear spiritual insight, and is in possession of spiritual vision. They are able to discern the spiritual realm, and know that which is godly from that which is ungodly.
Roadmap, and instruction manual in hand, men begin their spiritual walk trusting the Bible implicitly, unwilling to deviate from the path that it has so clearly outlined within its pages. As they progress, grow, and mature in God, there are those blessed souls that continue to trust the Word in greater measure, that nurture the passion for the things of God, and the will of God in their lives and hearts, and there are those who begin to give heed to the whispers all around them, offering shortcuts and detours, offering an easier path, with less resistance.
It is when man deviates from what he knows to be the truth, when he willingly abandons the Word in favor of men's teachings and opinions that his spiritual vision begins to erode. Once this process begins, it becomes increasingly more difficult to discern between that which is true and pure, from that which is defiled and unholy. Soon after, these selfsame individuals who began their walk trusting God, and having a Biblical foundation, become dependent on the men to whom they surrendered their hearts, no longer able to discern truth when they hear it, because they are for all intents and purposes spiritually blind.
The event that brought about this train of thought and the eventual article was a recent meeting with a pastor who ministers throughout eastern Europe, and when I told him I preach in America, he shook his head and with a smirk he said, "I've never met a more gullible people than the American Church, seeing the teachings that they allow into their hearts, seeing the emptiness of the doctrines that men who have become their sensations, superstars, and idols put forth, I sometimes wonder if America really is the country that will believe anything. There is no depth, there is no spirituality, there is no Christ, how can you contend with that?"
Since I'd only just met the man and didn't want to seem rude, I simply smiled, and said, "they are not gullible, they are just spiritually blind, and as with any blind person, they will trust the first hand that is extended to them, offering to help them cross the street, or navigate dangerous terrain. Tragically, the hand that is most often extended is that of a wolf, and since they have no other choice they trust him until it's too late. The lie succeeds because the truth is silent, and as consequence I ask you the same question you asked me. How can you contend with the knowledge that there are so many wandering about in spiritual darkness, helpless and hungry, while knowing that you possess the light of truth, you chose the easier of the harvest fields?"
The man's cheeks turned red, and he said, I assumed as justification, that this was where he'd been called. "By the same token" I answered, "that is where I have been called, and this is how I not only contend with the spiritual apathy, and blindness, but I battle it with every fiber of my being on a daily basis."
The simple truth, is that spiritual blindness can be remedied, if the soul in question is willing to undergo the painful procedure of stripping itself of preconceived notions, of laying down its idols, and trusting once more the Word of God, over the words of men. It's not easy, since having been dependent on others for spiritual nourishment one must once again seek it out for themselves, and having been spoon-fed one must once again learn to feed themselves, but the alternative is unacceptable since spiritual blindness keeps a soul in perpetual darkness.
Those who gravitate toward spiritual blindness will always outnumber those who desire spiritual vision, because when one is blind, there is no accountability. Even if led down the wrong path, one can always lay the blame at the feet of those who led them astray, but lest we forget, it is we, ourselves who have chosen blindness, and though we might be able to temporarily justify our spiritual predicament, if only to ourselves, there will be a day of reckoning, a day when we will stand before the omniscient One, and we will be asked the questions for which there are no justifiable answers: "Having seen, why did you choose blindness? Having known truth, why did you embrace the lie? Having known Me, why did you leave Me?"
Every choice we make, every path we take, every teaching we choose to believe, is followed by infinite variables of consequence. Actions, whether physical or spiritual have consequences, and whether these consequences are visible today, or ten years from now, they exist nonetheless.
My prayer this day, is that we choose truth, that we not take for granted the light of the Gospel, and the grace that is freely given to us, that we embrace Christ, and cling to Him, and no matter how tempting the whispers, no matter how seductive the doctrines, no matter how wide the path men offer, we would trust in our eternal Father, and walk the narrow path of faith that will surely lead us home.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.