Author: Allison Powell
Published: November 22, 2005
Tool: [ email ]
There is a martial art movie on DVD entitled "Zatoichi - The blind swordsman." It’s an action-filled movie about ‘a blind, nomadic, samurai whose sword has made him a hero and whose courage made him a legend.’ Interestingly, in the movie, the Asian community viewed Zatoichi as a blind man incapable of succeeding. This Asian community was blind in their understanding of Zatoichi’s actual capabilities. This movie’s Asian community was blinded to the reality of the situation. Zatoichi encountered situations in which people presumed his disability hindered his ability to work, fight, win, to offer protection for others and himself. Zatoichi lived in darkness because he was a blind man. Yet he possessed eyesight, tremendous wisdom, perception, talent, and insight. Zatoichi was never physically healed of his blindness, yet he lived in a manner as if he could see.
There is a biblical story about a man born into darkness with the disability of blindness. Followers of Jesus wondered if this man’s blind condition was a result of "his own sin or those of his parents." Jesus responded to this inquiry suggesting that such disability was "so the power of God could be seen in him."
Some of us view our struggles as tricks of life. We get stuck in a type of blindness. In these situations we only see the dark side of trouble. We see family member problems, frustrations with finances, our hypocrisies, personal strongholds with drugs, sex, alcohol, and anxieties over wanting a love life as tricks of life. These situations often feel like dark times in life for us, because we cannot claim victory over incidents that internally stress us out. Many struggle over personal ‘lack’ of ability to overcome a measure of seemingly unfair, perhaps random, and unmerited events in life.
Similar to blindness or any other disability, we are perhaps divinely assigned such strongholds as a personal disability ‘so the power of God can be seen.’ Could this explain the horrific unexplainable reasons for your personal strongholds? Apostle Paul said: "three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, than I am strong." This has got to be some type of sick trick and terrible explanation for things in life! Consider, could strength through our own weakness be perceived as a treat instead of a trick?
In the bible story, the blind man was physically healed in a special unconventional way. "Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with saliva, smothered the mud over the blind man’s eyes, and sent him to the pool of Siloam to wash." This blind man went and washed; he returned with new eyesight, physical healing, a new understanding, and new perspective. "I was blind and now I can see" said this now seeing man. He left his dark world recognizing Jesus as ‘light,’ healer, prophet, God’s leader, and Son of man.
Our disability may aim toward living abstinent yet repeatedly failing, loving evil, drinking, drugging, gossiping, being prideful, or just being nasty/ungodly. WE are each tricked in some way by society to remain disabled as a blind man. WE can receive an unconventional healing from our personal struggles and gain a new perspective for our lives. How nasty and painful it would be for someone to spit in my eye with dirt! Could unconventional action bring healing? Would one welcome the unconventional healing?
Some interesting things occurred in the bible story. Once the blind man was healed from his disability, neighbors and religious leaders (Pharisees) questioned if this man was blind since birth. These inquirers also exercised disbelief about Jesus (viewed as a sinner, and disloyal to the Sabbath) actually healed the man from blindness. "How could this ordinary man (Jesus) do such miraculous signs" wondered the religious leaders?
As the Asian samurai Zatoichi and Apostle Paul, we can see differently, perform, and walk in our deliverance and healing even though our physical infirmity doesn’t change our circumstances. As the blind man in this bible story, we may be healed from our disability, and gain a new perspective about whom Jesus is to us. The blind man in the bible story was kicked out of the synagogue community for his beliefs. Jesus came to the blind man to "give sight to the blind and to show to those who think they see that they are blind."
Oftentimes those with all the answers, knowledge, attitude, and resources don’t appear to know much. They often reject, criticize, and alienate people who don’t agree with their mainstream ways of thought and life. However, despite popular opinion there will always be ordinary people with the strongholds, gifts, and disabilities. Stay open to being healed and gaining spiritual insight, perception, talent, and wisdom that sheds light to dark situations.
Is it a trick or treat to walk from the darkness of your own disability? Are you tricked or treated into seeing your situation as natural instead of spiritual? Are you tricked or treated when someone suggests that the natural order of life has spiritual/Godly implications?
Be healed from your disability! See a new perspective. Tell all about your healing, and how the person of Jesus healed you. Now that is a sweet treat to think about it!
For additional reading you may review the second book of Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-10 and chapter 9 of the book of John.
