The Blind Man’s Blessing

By Joshua Barbish

There was this one man I would see each day,

An odd man, the other kids would all say.

When I saw him, peace was his commonplace,

Calm and awake, with a bright, smiling face.

I went to him with a question in mind:

“If I saw your story, what would I find?”

He replied, “There is so much I could say,

But I will tell you the main point today.”

“I am blind with no chance to ever see.

My blindness changed my whole reality.

Growing up, many days felt filled with strife.

All because I perceived a hole in life.”

“When I heard about the world’s wondrous sights,

All the art, the colors, the day, and night,

My heart began to feel broken, left out,

And I wanted to sob, there is no doubt.”

“That brokenness still exists to this day,

But a healing has come into my heart.

‘What kind of healing is this?’ you may say.

This healing is the truth, the light, the way.”

“When my eyes could not see, when senses failed,

The LORD held on to me securely, well.

For sight He gave me faith that would prevail.

He guided my feet to walk on His trail.”

“He showed me how to see the good in bad,

Looking for the bright side of things in life.

He taught me the meaning of being glad:

Knowing His grace which I already had.”

“When I meet people, no colors I sense.

That means none are ugly or look like ‘less.’

No race, size, or gender can make me tense.

Instead I act in love, a love immense.”

So with our shared words and ending laughter,

I learned to appreciate being blind.

May we be blind to what doesn’t matter,

So that God’s grace is what we chase after.