“And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” Mark 8:23-25 (ESV)

I jumped back into the pool again to get my laps in for the day. As I was swimming along, I realized that the bottom of the pool was so much clearer to see than when I swam in it a couple of years ago. I also noticed that even through the fog of my goggles, I could see the clock on the wall even better than the last time I remembered swimming. Then it hit me, I had not been swimming in this particular pool since before I had cataract surgery almost two years ago. After that surgery, I put down my glasses for near-sightedness and began only using reading glasses. It took some time for everyone to adjust to seeing me without glasses and it took some time for me to adjust to it as well. In the moment when I realized I could see clearly in the pool, I was reminded of the narrative in Mark above.

Jesus had the ability to heal the sick and give sight to the blind in any way that he wanted to. In another incident, he told a blind man to wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7). But here, Jesus decided to use his own spit. The surprising part of this text is that it would appear to not have worked on the first try. I don’t think that is the case. With the narrative in John, the name of the pool meant “sent” and the man went and came back seeing. But here the man has a gradual return of his sight. At first, everything was blurry and then he could see clearly. What I think Jesus is showing us is that sometimes, and maybe depending on our level of faith, God has to gradually move us to the place he needs us to be. He meets us where we are on this journey called faith. Either way, the end result was a clearer vision physically and also a clear vision spiritually. Whether we are the type of person who believes on the word go or whether we are someone who needs to gradually believe, this shows me the patience, love and grace of God at work in bringing us into a full and clear vision of who God is. It also teaches me, that I should exhibit the same patience, love and grace with my fellow mankind.

Physically, the cataract surgery was one eye at a time. That meant the first eye was seeing a day after the surgery but I had to wait a full week before the other eye could be worked on. In between, the world through my eyes was a bit out of focus and I was a bit out of balance. But after the second surgery, I was stunned by just how clear everything looked. I had almost forgotten the transformation, until I got back in the pool to swim. As I contemplated that while swimming, I thought about how, lately, my life journey has opened my eyes to certain characteristics I have and experiences that shaped my life and it has given me a renewed clarity for purpose and direction in my life. I can see clearly now that God has been at work in my life through it all with patience, love and grace. I can see clearly now.