Lausanne World Pulse – Perspectives Articles – Gaining Spiritual Sight: A Continuous Process

By Dana Ryan
September 2009

“You can see leaves on trees?”

Those were the first words out of my mouth as I exited the optometrist’s office. At nine years of age I learned that trees seen from a distance did not match the iconic pictures of trees often drawn by children—a brown trunk topped by a fuzzy green circle—and I was stunned.

Similar revelations followed as I began to see the world with 20/20 vision for the first time. And while my newfound clarity proved exciting, it also carried a certain unease, not only from realizing I hadn’t seen the world accurately for nine years, but also (and perhaps more so), because I hadn’t known it. I felt as though I was emerging from a long deception.

The Miracle of Sight: Removing Spiritual Blindness
The transformation of my visual world from one of blurred images to one of sharp, focused shapes is easy to explain scientifically. But for me, the experience of seeing clearly for the first time was nothing short of miraculous. However, the true miracle of sight is in God’s ability to remove our spiritual blindness—to reveal who he is, who we are, and how great a gulf exists between the two. That process, unlike the correction of physical sight, is one not easily explained by science, nor is it always as easily accepted.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the lens through which we view the world is closely connected to our identity—who we perceive ourselves to be and who others are in relation to this perception. When a worldview is questioned, the holder of that worldview is suddenly faced with a very personal dilemma: Do I really know who I am? And that places the individual in the uncomfortable position of questioning the people who helped form his or her identity—usually the most loved and respected people in his or her life. Accepting a differing set of beliefs feels, for many, like a betrayal.

Interacting with Individuals Who Come from a Different Starting Point
I learned this during my interactions with Ya Hue.* My friendship with Ya Hue, a student from China, developed quickly. We met at church and soon began meeting once a week after she expressed interest in learning more about the Bible. Almost immediately I discovered her quick wit, her interest in other cultures, and her reflective nature. We spent hours conversing on a wide range of topics and our relationship deepened to the point that we openly shared our joys and sorrows with one another.

For individuals to accept God’s offer of redemption they must receive enough clarity of vision to see their need for reconciliation with him.

During one of my initial meetings with Ya Hue, the topic of original sin surfaced. She disagreed with my assertion that people are born evil, instead attributing the bad behavior of individuals to corrupt influences within society. She then agreed to the concept of absolute truth, but remained unable to provide any standard for that truth. When she suggested society as the standard, I asked her whether an entire society could be wrong. She grew quiet and then said, “I’ve never thought about some of these things before.”

It was a statement Ya Hue would repeat many times during our discussions. Sometimes her admission surprised me, revealing the fact that I often take many biblical truths for granted and assume that everyone around me sees the world the same way. But I have to remember that some people are still seeing trees as big green circles. I also have to be honest and admit that my own vision continues to be corrected as God reveals blind spots in my own life. I know from experience that the process of gaining spiritual sight can be painful. And for someone whose vision is radically altered, it may feel as if the person is emerging from a long deception.

Ya Hue seemed to move back and forth. She wanted what she saw when she looked at our group of believers and she recognized the wisdom and truth within the Bible, yet she still held back. At one point she even asked “You realize that this is very difficult for me?” And I did, because I understood that she felt like her whole belief system would essentially collapse if she accepted the truths of the Bible. Gaining a new worldview meant seeing the world in a radically different way from those she loved—and that made her feel disloyal, even disrespectful.