One Eye Blind - I'll Take My Sight

“I'm blind in one eye and can't see out the other,” has been one of my parents' favorite expressions through the years. It is a word usually spoken in our family after finding something that was right in front of us we kept overlooking.

Most people can look. A few people are said to have “vision.” Most of us just don't see.

Within less than two months time I've lost about 60% of the vision in my right eye because of a swollen optical nerve. I had never heard of such a thing. I had also never heard of a neuro-opthomologist either. Both have now become familiar to me. If we aren't looking we surely won't see.

“Vision” is overrated. I'll take my sight any day and anytime.

If you can see, you won't take for granted the words on the page you can read or the simple green clover at your foot. Vision has you looking for what isn't even there and you miss seeing who is directly in front of you.

John of the Cross noted there are only two paths. One is to go after Jesus wherever he leads, taking up the cross and learn what it means to deny oneself. The other path is “to seek the fulfillment of ourselves in God. This type of spirituality is the enemy of the cross of Christ.” -Ascent of Mount Carmel.

With General Conference around the corner for the United Methodist Church, plenty of other changes in other denominations, and enough controversy to go around, it is time for the Church to add more contemplatives to the conversation rather than trying to find more visionaries.  It maybe we can't see contemplatives because we're “blind in one eye and can't see out the other.” If we can't, then let's start practicing denying ourselves and following Jesus. Even with one good eye, I can still see who they are.


Ken is the Associate Pastor at Cumming First United Methodist and lead preacher for the NEW 9:51 Worship service meeting each Sunday morning.