One Thing I Know

And they asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
John 9:19-25

The past few days have been oppressive with heat and humidity. Everything clung to itself, everything has been damp and even when the sky lightened for a bit, the damp air never let go. Last night we had a lovely dinner with friends and as we were leaving, stepping into the night air, we all felt the change. The weather had finally broken, a front had moved through and the heavy blanket of dampness was lifted. We all looked up and the stars were amazing and brilliant. As if we had never seen stars before, we stared up, grateful for the change of weather and the beauty of the night.

The man who was healed by Jesus, and his parents were under the scrutiny of the religious leaders. They wanted answers as to why this healing had occurred and by what authority. The healed man and his family really did not chose to be in the center of a controversy. They were just grateful that the healing had occurred and that Jesus touched a man who could only beg before this. They did not know how it happened but they were forever grateful for the miracle, the change in his eyesight and a positive change in all of their lives. We can find ourselves in times when our burdens and diseases are so heavy that we re brought to our knees. God invites us to know the Divine as one who seeks out the poor and the broken, the overwhelmed and the ignored. God is seeking out the ones left by the side of the road, for healing and transformation.

Today, may I live this day in gratitude for all the healing and change in my life. May we, who have received blessing after blessing, remember that there are others still waiting, still begging for the weight to be lifted, the burden to be untied. May we be those who offer the love of God to strangers and friends alike, not worrying about their orthodoxy, but about their hearts. May we not add to anyone's burden with our theology, but rather by our humility and love, welcome all.