Blind

I was blind for an hour on Friday. I mean I couldn’t detect the slightest hint of light in any direction. It was an amazing experience. Young Andras and his bride of one year, took me to a Braille exhibition in Budapest. We hooked up with five strangers and they, the exhibition curators, opened a door, which led to total darkness, as dark as I ever saw it 4,000 feet underground. Once inside, the eight of us had to make our way through a kitchen, a living room, down a sidewalk, and across a street, over a bridge into a forest and finally into a restaurant. (All simulated inside of a building, and all rather crowded and trying to be careful what we touched.)

You may think you have an idea what it feels like to be blind, but I found it to be far more intense than I thought. It is really hard, frustrating, and dangerous. They made a point to tell us a couple of times not to bend over because there were some short cement statues in the forest part. Near the statues, someone said we were right by the statues. I was feeling around and couldn’t find anything. I thought maybe the statues were really short so I bend over to feel at a lower level. Wouldn’t you know it; I found a statue with my face. Someday, I’ll listen to instructions.

The last three meetings were very well attended. As a matter of fact, the small church was full. Some people were disappointed that there were not more people, but at the same time, I felt there were some very good, very interested, very intelligent people showing a real desire to be led of God. I was not in the least disappointed.

To celebrate, Andras, Gabriela and I went to a mineral bath on Saturday night. That was the grand finale. The church people gave me two books, one on Budapest, and one on the history of Hungary. Mrs. Ambrus gave me an oral history of her beloved Hungary. I am extremely interested in things like that. Can’t wait to read the books.

Flew home on Sunday, arrived at the house at 11 PM. Awake at 3:00 AM, spent an hour and fifteen minutes in prayer and reading, exercised for half an hour, swept my exercise room, cleaned the fridge, made breakfast for my wife and I, and spent the rest of the day catching up. All is well.

Just a thought: Physical blindness is devastating, but spiritual blindness is worse because the spiritually blind don’t know their condition. What they think they see is their reality. But carnal reality is colored by a world steeped in deception, and we are cursed with deceptive hearts. Jeremiah 17:9. Our only hope is to be so prayerfully dependent on God that He can fulfill His promise to guide us through life. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with mine eye upon you.” Psalms 32:8. Ask God to guide you with the idea that you will follow His lead. What do you say?

So says the Preacher to his tribe.