Written by Frank Risper
How many times have you sat in church and listened to the pastor say those words or something pretty close? When he or she said the words, were you listening? Or did the words go in one ear and out the next?
Stop and think about the meaning of those words for a moment.
Are you truly happy and thankful that when you woke up this morning, that you had the ability to feel hear and walk. You also had the ability to see the sunrise and quite possibly witness the setting of the sun in one day. Did you take the time to even think about it?
After all it’s the same thing every day, right? You get up every morning and sit on the side of the bed. You yawn, stretch your arms, wiggle your toes and wipe the sleep from your eyes so you can see. After your morning wake up ritual, you head to the bathroom for that morning shower. Some people might step past the shower and head directly to the breakfast table. Hey, to each its own, right?
My point is that we’ve become so accustomed to all of our extremities working the way they should that we take them for granted.
Imagine if you would for a moment, waking up in the morning and going through your morning ritual and when you rubbed your eyes to get the sleep out you noticed everything was dark. So you rub them again and your situation has not changed it’s still dark.
First, you feel a wave of fear. Then, panic sets in as you realize that you no longer have the use of your eyes. Your sight is gone.
With the help of loved ones, you go to the doctor and it is confirmed that you are indeed blind. In a blink of an eye, literally, you’ll be in the dark for the rest of your life. You always depended on waking up in the morning and seeing the start of your day. But, now that’s gone. Don’t take anything for granted. Nothing will always be there for you.
It can happen just like that.
I recently saw a woman walking down the street using a walking cane with red tip. I knew she was blind. Another woman walked with the blind woman, helping her feel her way down the street. Traffic was heavy and she was making her way toward a busy corner.
I could tell by the way that she moved that she was new to blindness. I guess that she was about 40 years old. I wondered how she lost her sight. I wondered if she was totally blind or if she had limited sight. I wondered if those moments feeling her way down the street were torturous for her. I wondered if she felt scared and vulnerable?
Every year 50,000 Americans become blind. Blindness comes with advancing age, diabetes and a whole other host of diseases. Half of all of blind people are over 65. However, a significant number are children or young adults.
Personally, everyday I wake up, I thank God for my sight and all of my other faculties. I encourage you to thank God everyday for all of his many blessings.
Remember to trust in God only, keep the faith and seek after a pure heart. God will be pleased.
