Seeing With New Eyes

"It often takes a different perspective to help us see the world as it truly is."

Jimmy and Jace are brothers who share the same form of red-green color-blindness. They see as clearly as anyone else, but the colors red and green dissolve into murky shades of yellow. Even the colors they can see, such as blue, are dull and lifeless. 

In a touching video, Jimmy's father holds a bunch of brightly colored balloons, points to the orange one, and asks his son to name the color. There is a long pause before Jimmy hesitantly says, “Green?” His father then points to a green balloon and gently tells Jimmy, “this is green.” “It looks orange to me,” replies the teenager.

Jimmy is then given a pair of glasses designed to correct red-green color blindness. He puts them on and looks up. His mother, holding the camera, can be heard off screen asking him what he sees. But Jimmy can't speak. He is so overwhelmed by the vividness of the colors that tears are rolling down his cheeks. He turns to his brother, Jace, hugs him, and then passes on the glasses. Jace, too, is overwhelmed and only manages to say, “it's so bright.”

There are more videos like this, of people seeing the vibrant colors of the world around them for the first time. Far and away the most typical responses are tears of joy.

We live in a world surrounded by the beauty of God's creation but we have become so accustomed to it that we are frequently blind to its intensity. It often takes an outside force, a pair of glasses or a person with a different perspective to help us see the world as it truly is. 

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was a quiet moment, limited to a few people. On the feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the manifestation of God to the entire world, specifically to the Gentile nations who had received no prophecies and heard no heavenly hymns of praise.

But the Gentile astrologers did see a sign. Through an unusual star in the common constellations, God sent them a message they could not ignore. And so they came, nations and kings, to the light of Israel. They did not come to Israel itself. The people had become so used to God’s Word they had grown somewhat deaf to it, the nations came to the Light itself.

The Light brings together a new people, gathered from all nations, a people of God, a people chosen.

Let us be wakeful and watchful. Let us be mindful of the manifestations of God that occur around us every day. In particular let us watch for our brothers and sisters who are returning home. We reach out to those who are coming to us with questions, and those who are tired and long for nothing more than to be again counted among God’s children.

We are blessed with converts and prodigals. These are our brothers and sisters who often reveal to us new and fruitful paths, let us listen to them, and welcome them with joy.

Pax Vobiscum