As a senior in college I had the opportunity to live with a retired gentleman and his wife named Vaugh and Helen Terrell. Mr. Terrell had grown up in Alabama, been educated as a lawyer, passed the state bar exam, practiced law for many years, and then served as a distinguished judge in his home state. When I met him, he and Helen were serving as volunteers in a local ministry and renting rooms of their home out to college students like me, especially those headed for ministry.
Mr. Terrell was also blind. At the age of 10, he and his friends had found some blasting caps that unexpectedly exploded, resulting in the loss of both of his eyes. The accomplishments of his professional life were all the more impressive, knowing that he had done them without the benefit of sight. I found him to be profoundly insightful in the Scriptures and in issues of life, deeply dedicated to the Lord, and often times, extremely funny. One night when my other house mates and I were being somewhat raucous, he came out from his bedroom and said, “Helen told me to come out here and quiet you down; I’m going to keep an eye on you.” Then he laid one of his glass eyes on the coffee table and walked out of the room.
What I discovered in living with a blind person was that he was able to “see” things I could not. His other senses were tuned to hear, feel, smell, and understand things that I so easily overlooked. This Sunday we’ll read about a man who could “see” what others around him could not, even though he was blind. (Mark 10:46-52) We’ll see how Jesus loved Bartimaeus, but beyond that, we will learn how to love others the same way he did. Come and have your eyes “opened” to Jesus’ way of thinking and seeing the world around you!
In Christ,
Kurt