Jericho Road

Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again." But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. Luke 18:31-43 

Sometimes on the hardest roads, the most wonderful things happen. The past few weeks have been very challenging for our family. We took the weekend to visit our daughter Ariel and our granddaughter Lilly. We spent two nights in Allentown just visiting as a family. One night Lilly stayed with us in the hotel room. She banished her Pop Pop to the other bed and slept with me. She tossed and turned a bit in the night, but every time she rolled away, she rolled back to me, snuggled close and held my hand. It was a gift to feel her sweet little child breath on my neck and watch her nestled close, so trusting and loving. Sometimes in our lives we cannot see the love that surrounds us.

The disciples and Jesus are on their final journey together. Despite all the explanations of what was to come, they failed to hear and see what was going on. We humans are often oblivious. It was the blind man on the road, who brazenly called out, who knew love drawing near and would not let himself be passed by. He called out to Jesus and was rewarded with sight. And even more, he was given faith beyond measure, as were the people who witnessed the healing.  We are invited by God, when we find ourselves on challenging journeys, to seek love and healing despite the evidence to the contrary. God calls us to seek and be love on our hardest days.

Today I ask God to help me have eyes to see the abundance of love that surrounds us. May we who face tough roads and storms ahead, remember that we are never alone, and that we can cry out in every moment and place. There is healing and love around every corner, today.