Seeing Clearly

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day.

 I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day.

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies...

Johnny Nash, 1972

It was a few months after my last eye surgery, the transplant that replaced the damaged layer of corneal tissue in my right eye. I knew I was seeing better than I had in a long time, at least in that eye; my ophthalmologist assured me that my distance vision was 20/20 without glasses, and my close vision was nearly perfect with reading glasses. But that day, as I was driving south, from Scottsbluff to Gering, I noticed the snow dusting the Wildcat Hills at the end of the road ahead of me, several miles away. I had lived here for 35 years by then, but that was the first time I ever knew that the Wildcats were visible at the end of the road! 
The Wildcat Hills: always visible, if you know where to look
Until then, I was aware that I had been missing some details, like spider webs and fine print and unfamiliar street signs, but I thought I had been seeing most things around me pretty well. I had no way of knowing what I had missed.

And so, I have been experiencing a re-awakening, of sorts. The spring flowers appear to be more beautiful than ever before. I can spot the rabbits sitting, still as statues, in the green grass next to the path where I walk. I notice the deer and pronghorns in the fields next to the highway when I drive to Cheyenne. The dark storm clouds have much more texture and more layers than I remember. The brilliant sunsets over the Monument are awash with vivid orange and pink light. And, for the first time ever, I can see well enough to drive without glasses--except for my sunglasses, which are over-the-counter, prescription-free.


Did you know that you can legally drive with only one good eye? I should have realized that, since I have a couple of relatives who drive, even though they each have the use of only one eye. My new and improved right eye has taken over for my still defective left eye. I may have a transplant on that eye at some point in the future, but not even a corneal transplant can remove the scar tissue on my retina; I will always have a small blind spot in my left eye.

I am proof that God certainly knew what he was doing when he gave us two eyes, so if one is damaged, the other can still see the beauty he has created.

To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
Psalm 123:1
As thankful as I am for the eyes God has given me, and for the doctors who know how to fix my eyes when they need to be surgically repaired, I am even more thankful that God has given me spiritual eyes to see him clearly as my Lord and Savior. I pray that each of you will also long for eyes to see him as he really is.


Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see You

I want to see You

Paul Baloche, 1997







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