Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

• John 9:24-25

”I try to explain to you the joy of following Christ: the thrill, the excitement, the exhilaration—knowing where I’ve come from, why I’m here, where I’m going! There’s a reason for existence. There’s a reason for getting up every morning of the year. I try to tell you what I’ve found in Jesus Christ, and in studying the Scriptures and walking with Him, and you say, ‘I can’t see that!’ Of course, you can’t. You are blind. Try to explain television to a blind man. He can understand a little of it, but it doesn’t make sense to him. Try to explain a sunset to him. He’s blind to it. The scales must be removed from your eyes, and only Christ can do that. He can remove them right now and you can start living and seeing a whole new world that you never knew existed, if you will let Him open your spiritual eyes.”

• Billy Graham, Day by Day with Billy Graham (devotion for March 17)

Note: The boy in the photo is our grandson, four-years-old at the time, playing the ukulele. He is not the boy in the story later in this post.

I understand where Billy Graham is coming from, but when you love someone who is “blind,” it is so hard not to get frustrated.  You want them to understand, but if their eyes are not opened, they never will.

I have the passion for evangelism, but at times, I wonder if I have the patience.  We are waiting for the Holy Spirit to work within someone’s life, and at the same time, they could be resisting that working of the Holy Spirit.

In that situation, I can see relationship evangelism at work.  I usually shy away from that method.  Will Graham, Billy’s grandson, said that speaking the Word of God is important, and we can never be good enough to guide someone to Jesus without saying something at some point.  But for those in our lives that we have an open line of communication with, God may want us to be that friend that they turn to once they have given up their spiritual wrestling with the Holy Spirit.  At that point, we need to be prepared to say what the Holy Spirit guides us to say.

Our son started a ukulele club at his elementary school in an impoverished part of a southern city.  One of the children who eagerly joined the club was a handicapped boy with almost no use of one hand.  Our son quickly realized that the school did not have the equipment that they needed.  He purchased what he needed and strung the ukulele to fit the limited ability that the boy had.  As he taught the children how to play, how to shift chords, how to strum…  Everything was essentially backwards for this one boy, and our son spent extra time, just for him.  In the end, this boy, who had been told by everyone what he could not do, was playing the ukulele.

A young boy learned how to do something physical and have success.  He had not known success in that arena before.  It took a couple of things to pull it off.  Our son had to have love and patience and a willingness to put in extra time.  And the boy had to have the desire.

Somewhere out there, someone has a burning desire to know Jesus, and you may be the one who has the love and patience to show that love until they want to ask Jesus into their heart.  Be willing and ready to help them on that journey.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.