Eyes to see, ears to hear

“Do you have eyes but fail to see and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” Mark 8:18 NIV

This has always puzzled me. I do not know how many times Jesus said this. However, it was usually around some point He was making. The implication was not that people were incapable of hearing or seeing. Rather, people lacked the capacity to realize what it was they were actually hearing and seeing. I think it is funny because He was saying it to people who were seeing miracles. I would like to think that if I saw Him raise someone from the dead or cure leprosy that I would be paying attention. I realize there is far too much evidence in my life to the contrary. I am no less thick headed.

My wife told me a story this week. She was at a store shopping. She heard a child sort of throwing a fit as she walked in. We have all seen moms and dads with a kid throwing a fit before. We have been the parent on the receiving end of the fit many times. She did what moms do though, she listened. This sounded different so she followed the sound.

What she discovered was this, a mom with a cart of groceries was at the check out line. The child was a special needs kid. If you have one you can tell. Mary could tell. The mom was standing with both hands clenched on the push bar of the cart. Her child was standing facing the mom but surrounded by the mom’s arms and the cart. The size of the kid put the mom at a disadvantage and this fit was getting physical. There is a level of strength that is beyond normal. Mary recognized the situation. We still have these to deal with.

Mary approached the mom and just said “Can I help?” The mom managed to say “My wallet is in the car!” Problem recognized. If she lets go of the cart, the kid gets away. If she hangs on, she cannot get the wallet. If the kid gets away the mom might not be strong enough to get them back. She also needed groceries and included in that cart were items that had the kid fixated.

Then Mary noticed a cashier, a manager, an adjacent cashier and some miscellaneous customers all standing there. They could have thought they were seeing one titanic fit from a kid old enough to know better. They could have assumed they were watching a parent who lacked skill. Neither was true. They could have realized something was special here, but just had no idea what to do. Either way, just watching.

My beautiful soul mate bought some extra groceries that day. She wept telling me about this. As she was paying the cashier made an attempt to explain their inactivity. Please hear this – I am not throwing them under a bus, but they did not have eyes to see or ears to hear. In this case maybe my wife was at that store for this specific purpose. However, it is just as likely that any of them could have helped. It is also likely that I have been a spectator when I should have been a volunteer many times.

Do you ask God to open your eyes to opportunities to serve others? Do you think God allows us to see and not want us to help? I realize there are times that is true, but it is not always true.

Do you ask God to provide blessing – in money, time or talent - so you can keep it? Or is it so you can help when you do notice?

Challenge: Lets attempt for the next week to live slower. Eyes up. Notice more. Get your hands dirty in someone else’s mud. After all, if I had to count the number of times I have been the one needing help my eyes would be far more wide open.

Rick Claiborn