The Grace to See

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. -John 9:1 (NIV)

On Saturday night at our 7th Annual Fish Fest Christian Music Festival, one of the artists was Json, a rapper from St. Louis. In between songs as well as in his music, Json shared his testimony. He was born into a broken home to a mother who was a drug addict. By the time he was 16, he was addicted to drugs, had already spent time in jail, and had joined a gang. It was in jail that Json encountered Jesus Christ and since that time he has committed his life to being a faithful follower of Jesus. He travels across the country teaching, preaching, evangelizing, and rapping for the glory of God.

On some level, it sounds as if Json may have been blind to the power of Jesus in his early years. But if Saturday's night's testimony through word and rap was any indication, he now sees with great clarity the love and grace of God as well as God's purpose for his life.

Today's suggested scripture reading features a blind man who is given sight by Jesus. What stands out even more for me than this man born blind, however, is the other people in the story. They're blind too, although they don't realize it. They think they can see but they really can't. The danger in being blind but unaware of it is that you never seek to see.

I'm sure that I am blinded to things about myself...things that need to change. Perhaps the same is true of you. May God grant us the grace to see these things today.

Tomorrow's suggested scripture readings are Jeremiah 1-2 and John 10.