Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

• Matthew 15:29-31

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.

• John 9:1-12

Author’s Note: This is a true story.  No miracle was performed as the title states.  So, don’t get to the end and groan.

A few days ago, I was having a satisfactory night’s sleep.  As usual, somewhere between two and three in the morning, I woke up.  Usually this is due to the CPAP mask leaking.  Sometimes, I get out of bed to use the restroom, but sometimes, I simply roll over.

My sleeping position when I get back in bed depends on what is hurting at the time.  On this occasion, the only sleep position that was pain free was sleeping on my back with a very flat pillow under my head.  In this position, I have the most CPAP mask leaks, but I did the best I could.  I fell back to sleep.

A few hours later, I awoke feeling refreshed, but something did not feel right.  I held up my left arm to check my watch.  It felt like 6:30.  Since I had nowhere to go, I might get a little more sleep.  That sleep that I just had felt so good.

I looked and I could not see the watch face.

Then, my brain clicked.  It’s a smart watch that needs a button pushed to have the face turn on.  I lifted both arms.  I clicked the button, and I saw nothing.

This was strange.  I sensed the smells and morning warmth from the East window.  I should at least see something.

Then my thought was that I had my eyes closed.  How else would I be lying in bed seeing absolutely nothing.  I blinked a few times.  Still nothing.

At this point, most people would be freaking out.  They had gone blind in the middle of the night.

Not me.  I stared at the darkness above me and thought that I am not ready to go blind.  I have things to do.  And if God wants me to do those things, this setback might be a game changer.  So, I blinked a few more times.  Then, I do not know if I heard a “voice” or if my logical mind told me to think back to the last time that I could see.  What had I done?

Okay, I went to the bathroom and returned to the bed, never turning on the lights, but the moon was near full and about that time of night at that time of year, the light came through the bathroom window, even with the blinds closed.  I selected the position of sleeping on my back due to neck and back pain.  Then, the CPAP mask was leaking like crazy.  I took a heavy pillow and placed it over my face to press the CPAP mask against my face.  There was no fear of asphyxiation since the CPAP delivers constant pressure of air.  Then the pillow kept falling off my face, so I pulled the comforter over the pillow to hold it in place.  Hmmm. That is all that I could think of, and then the lightbulb inside my head turned on.

I lowered the comforter and pillow from my face, and voila!  I was blind, but now I SEE!

Told you.  No miracle at all, but I took longer to work out those details in my mind than it took you the read this.  And for some very weird reason, I never panicked.  The pillow was thick enough that I only saw blackness.

Jesus worked a little harder helping the man born blind.  And even then, it was a miracle.

It just took me a while getting my brain in gear after I woke up.

And the photo above is a reenactment of the fiasco. It is truly a selfie. I am under there somewhere.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.