Dim places

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).

My Aunt Anna was blind. One day she told us the story of how she had learned to adjust. At first, it was hard. Losing her sight as a rare complication of pregnancy, she had retreated from those around her. “Until my eyesight is restored, I will simply wait,” she told herself. She would sit alone in her dim bedroom and wait. Her sight was not restored.

One summer day, her daughters took charge. They led her outside to a waiting blanket. “We hate to patch overalls, and we do not have time,” they said. They led her hands around the ragged knees, then the pin cushion with threaded needles, and the spare cloth for patches. Leaving her before she could protest, she slowly began to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the breeze. She began trimming the cloth and sewing the needed patches in place.

When her daughters returned, they celebrated with her, laughing and hugging until tears mixed with joy.

God promises that we will be able to see, even in the dim places of our journey.

This message was adapted from “Dim Places” written by Marj Leegard that first appeared in the March 2008 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.