Seize the Moment

Christ Healing the Blind Man by Carl Bloch

We all wait for that chance to achieve what we desire.

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. - Mark 10:46-52

The blind man waited for Jesus to come by. This was his only real chance to see again.

He knew what he was missing because he had been able to see before. So, he cried out, not wanting this opportunity to pass him by.

How many others might have hoped Jesus would spot them and come. But this man seized the day. This was the day the opportunity he had been hoping for came.

Imagine you are that man. Imagine what it must have been like for him to be able to work and care for himself and his family until one day, he went blind, and everything changed.

He refused to quit. He may not have been able to see, but he found a way to look for an opportunity to restore his life.

We tend to focus on the miracle in these stories, and not on the man. Yes, Jesus cured his blindness, but the real hero of this story is the blind man. He didn't give up.

More to come...