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Story Time!!
Once upon a time there were two boys living in a village. They were different in every way. One was tall, the other short. One was super energetic, and into running and playing. The other was studious and curious about everything. If you compared them on a list, they were polar opposites, except, they both had one thing in common….they were blind.
This disability often left them treated as an “other” at school and excluded them from the “in-crowd”. They would do all that they could to fit in, but nothing ever worked. They tried becoming skilled at games, becoming the top in their class, and being kind to everyone, but all to no avail. Their parents loved them dearly, but wished they could grow up to be like one of the successful warriors who were notorious throughout the village. The parents never told their blind boys how they wished they were different, but the boys always knew that they weren’t enough to make their families proud. The boys became friends because they were the only ones who could relate to each other; understanding how it felt to not “fit-in” and not enough for the ones you love. They always talked about what it would be like to finally see and be seen by others.
As time went on, they eventually grew up to become men but, unfortunately, their circumstances didn’t change.
They still weren’t like the other villagers in the town and went completely ignored by those passing by. They struggled finding a trade because of their disability. No one had the patience to teach them how to do anything, so they often struggled to find food. They felt like outsiders. More than anything, the men wanted to belong and be seen by those around them as valuable, but people always treated them differently because of their disability. After years of trying to be noticed, they eventually grew tired. They gave up on all their efforts to be seen by others. The downhearted men gathered their belongings and decided to leave the village as they felt that they didn’t belong there anyway.
After some time, they made it to the outskirts of their homeland. They had no idea where to go next. So, tired from the walk, they decided to stop. As they sat by the edge of the road, they heard a commotion. Apparently a famous man who was known around the surrounding villages as a “Healer” was walking by, and crowds upon crowds came out to speak to him. He was surrounded. The men thought that maybe this was their chance to finally see. “If the Healer is able to remove sicknesses from other people, surely he could make us see – right?”, one man questioned nervously. The other responded, “Well we’ve tried everything else. What do we have to lose?”
In the midst of all the shouts of the crowd, they started to call out for the man. “Healer!” “Healer!” The crowd and villagers surrounding the notable Healer eventually started to hush the two blind men. “Be quiet!” “Why in the world would the Healer care about you?” they overheard people say.
Instead of listening to the crowd trying to silence them, the two men continued calling out to the Healer, even louder. This was their only chance to finally see and they were not going to give up without a fight. Overlooking the crowd that swarmed him, the Healer noticed the two men. After years of tears and desiring to just feel noticed, it finally happened. Their cries were heard. It worked! The two men were shocked. In a crowd of people, they were finally the ones deemed as valuable. The Healer walked over to the men and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind men told the Healer, “We just want to see.” The Healer could feel the pain in their voice of what they had experienced throughout their life and healed them out of love. Finally they were able to see! The men left their old village and began to follow the Healer.
As they made it to the next destination, the two men finally decided to ask, “Healer, why did you stop by our village?” “ Is it because our town is known for its beautiful sea? Or were you called by our village chief to heal our warriors?” The Healer looked at both of them with a smile and said, “No. I came just for you.”
This short story reminds me that God hears and sees you. It’s so easy to walk through life feeling unnoticed and not important. In a time where we have access to the lives of so many others, it’s easy to wonder if you really are enough; or, in a world filled with so many people, if God actually notices you.
We can even find ourselves fighting for the attention and approval of others just to feel empty once it's received. This story, derived from Matthew 20, is a reminder that you are seen by God and you are worth it to Him. God sees every tear that you shed, He hears every time you cry out to Him, and He feels what pains you. You matter to Him and He notices you, in a world full of people.
I wonder what miracle we could experience if in the middle of all the voices, including our own, telling us we don’t matter, or that we’re not enough, we continued to call on and follow the One who sees us as valuable, chooses us where we’re at, and loves us anyway.
Matthew 20
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
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