Seeing through the lens of Christ

The parents were devastated. Their much-anticipated child was born blind and deaf. Subsequently, they learned the child also could not speak. Although she was born more than a century ago, even today, many would throw their hands up in the air and not be willing to raise a child so profoundly disabled.

The world is fortunate that her parents and many others viewed this child through different lens — for she was one of the most insightful, intelligent, thoughtful and giving of people whom we know as Helen Keller. She earned a college degree, was a prolific author and speaker, and continues to inspire unknown numbers of people, although her earthly life ended here in Connecticut in 1988.

It is Lent, and one of the many lessons of Lent is to view life, others and ourselves through a different lens, the lens of Christ.

Those of us who rely on glasses to improve our vision have heard more than once, “Put on your glasses!” The frustration of not seeing well can be immense, but sometimes more so for others.

We see with more than our physical eyes and sometimes the other forms of sight – comprehension, understanding, empathy, sympathy, love, compassion, forgiveness – are far more important.

We allow the voices of others to color and filter our opinions; to provide shape and form to our lives; to determine the path upon which we will walk but when we are dissatisfied we fail to look within to see that we left our soul at the door of life.

We fail to pick it up and put on the filter of The Divine to allow us to see clearly and correctly. We will follow a mob mentality, a charismatic speaker, a well-coiffed person before we will follow that still, small voice within us. We physically see, but yet we do not mentally, emotionally or spiritually see at all, and therefore, we deny what is in front of us.

Throughout Scripture The Lord calls upon us to see and to hear, not what is self-serving or least challenging but that which is the truth, the path that leads to the Kingdom and that which is life affirming.

There is an old proverb, “There are none so blind as those who will not see,” that was popularized by a Presbyterian minister, Matthew Perry, back in the 17th century. It may well have come from Jeremiah 5, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.”

Lent is the season for us to put on the glasses of Jesus; the ears of Christ, to listen and to change. While what we hear or suspect or think may serve us well, the Lenten question is “How does it serve others, The Lord, The Kingdom?”

The second Lenten question is also similar, “How can I serve The Lord in truth and in spirit so that it might be well with my soul as well as the souls of others?”

This is a Kingdom, a relationship and we all have a role to play, a mission to fulfill and Lent is the season to make sure our glasses are on and our ears unstopped that we might be about it. Let it be so.