Stumbling In Darkness

My clock radio came on as it always does at 5 am. I looked at the clock but couldn't see the time. Something was wrong. Had the clock lights burned out. Then I noticed that I really couldn't see anything - no rays of light from the windows, no shadows. I was in pitch blackness, but the radio was playing. I was suddenly seized by fear. Had I gone blind? I decided to try to go to my bathroom, but in the darkness I was stumbling. I had trouble finding my way. I banged my foot on the night stand. I was disoriented and tried to feel the wall to find the bathroom door. Then I really began to fear. did I have a stroke? Finally I found the bathroom and I pulled up the blind. Fortunately, I was able to at least see some shadows and that provided some relief. I carefully felt my way back to my bed, crawled in, and rested in the darkness. Later, when Dianne woke up, she also wondered why the radio was playing but she couldn't see the clock. Then she told me how she was up a few hours earlier and how we had been through a violent lightening storm. Then my mind began to focus. I got up again and tried some lights. I found that our electricity was actually off and so was the electricity all over the neighborhood. That was why everything was pitch black. Then I also remembered that my radio had a back-up battery and that is why it was playing when the clock and all other electrical appliances were "dead". I thanked the Lord that nothing more serious had happened and I went back to bed. But my mind went to those who are physically blind. We know several folks with that condition and I began to realize how difficult their lives may be. Daily they live in darkness and can't enjoy the beauty of God's creation, especially the colors of fall. They stumble and often need help. That must be so hard. Lord, thank you for my physical sight which I just take for granted. But as I was in bed that morning I also thought of the millions who are spiritually blind in the darkness of sin. Many of them don't even comprehend their hopelessness and they stumble through life missing the beauty of a life in Christ. Most adjust to the darkness and don't know what they are really missing. And many are even satisfied with their situation and reject those who come with the gift of healing. When you grow up in spiritual darkness you may not know what spiritual light really is all about. Stumbling around in the darkness when the electricity goes off is one thing, but stumbling through spiritual darkness has eternal consequences. But, thankfully, I can say as the former blind man said when his physical sight was restored by Jesus, "Once I was blind, but now I can see!" Thank you Lord for my spiritual sight.