There is none so blind as those who refuse to see.   Old English Proverb

When we moved to Happy, we had a 77 year old neighbor across the alley by the name of Kenneth Wood. Kenneth had gone completely blind by the age of 42. Instead of "retiring" to let someone else care for him, Kenneth began a lawnmower repair business. Now, you might think that this would be impossible, especially when considering just how many moving parts a gas powered mower has, but Kenneth excelled at this work.

I used to go to Kenneth's for coffee on Mondays and Thursdays. At first, Kenneth would pour the coffee for us but, gentleman that I am, I quickly took over that job. Have you ever watched a blind man pour coffee? They can tell when it's been poured to the desired level by simply placing their finger inside the cup. When the coffee burns their finger, they know it's full. I suspect that you, too, would have quickly become a gentleman after the very first cup.

I appreciated the fact that Kenneth just never seemed to feel sorry for himself. Though he spent most of his latter years in a wheel chair, wore hearing aids, and lived in total darkness, he always had a smile on his face. One time when the coffee had finished perking Kenneth said, "I think the coffee's ready". I told him that I thought I had heard it stop perking, but he said, "No, the little light came on".

Kenneth enjoyed life!

Kenneth's been gone for many years now, but the lessons that I learned from him stay with me to this day. He taught me that life does not end just because your senses diminish or your mobility becomes limited. In fact, if you are paying close enough attention, you start to see things you never knew were there, if you will just open up the eyes of your mind.

This is what God's word will do for each of us, if we will just look. It shows us a Savior who came to heal all of our infirmities. It describes how He took away the greatest handicap known to man - sin - and gave us a chance to be whole again. It shows how we can live a life that far exceeds our wildest expectations, if we will just see what is plainly before us. And the word of God will show us how to live forever, if we will but open our eyes. Most people, when faced with hardships, simply surrender. But for the few who realize that such challenges just make the victory all the more sweet, life is just beginning. Can you see it?

One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.  John 9:25, NIV