Having Sight but No Vision

Helen Keller, the early twentieth century societal leader for individuals with vision and hearing challenges, once remarked that, "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." If for some reason you are not familiar with the work and advocacy that Ms. Keller accomplished during her life, let me just say one word, amazing. As a young toddler, Helen Keller lost both her sight and hearing while recovering from a traumatic childhood sickness. Over the next several years, Helen lived in total darkness and silence. I cannot even begin to imagine what that trapped existence must have felt like. Fortunately for Helen, Anne Sullivan came into her life and eventually broke the chains of silence and solitude which had kept Keller captive a great deal of her early childhood. Sullivan, her teacher and lifelong companion figuratively opened her senses to the world through sign language and life experiences. Based on the quote above, I wonder if Helen Keller may have had better vision than the majority of sighted folks?

 

Do we attempt to see what our lives should be, or are we comfortable seeing only the parts that we want to see? We need to be cautiously aware that having sight does not guarantee we can "see" the true purpose of this life we have been given. Let's look a little deeper at the difference between sight and vision that Helen Keller shared. 

 

How do you look at people that are "different" from yourself? Do you see skin color variations? Do you look at how someone dresses, customs they observe, or possibly even the religion they worship and make a judgement call about that person as a human being? If we only see the surface layer of a person's outward appearance, do we actually have vision? Vision sees beyond what is visible, vision allows us to see the potential in something, or in this case, someone that has worth and value to family, friends, and society. We demonstrate blindness when we don't look beyond what is on the surface of a person's physical appearance (Matthew 7:1-2).  

 

As leaders of our homes and families what direction are we leading? We can't see the future, yet we know that there is an eternal destination we are all striving towards if only we believe and seek His will for this life we have been given to live. It is way too simple to allow life to happen without us being involved in the decision-making process or goal setting for the future. We have to have a vision of what is most important and then just as aptly important is setting a course for how to arrive at each person's individual goals in life. Too often, our vision is stuck on how am I going to survive the day or week, instead of focusing on the end goal or destination. Having a vision of what is in store definitely shifts the purpose and vision of the life we are living. 

 

The foundational difference between seeing what is going on, and having a vision for what the goal for something is transfers to pretty much any aspect of your life. I challenge each of you to step back, slow down, and do a little self-reflection about whether you just see what is visible, or if you have a vision for the long-range purpose or plan in each aspect of your life. Don't be blinded by the interference of your daily grind, things do not happen by coincidence, you have a purpose and your life's purpose will impact others and ultimately the future. What is your vision for the future you will impact?           

  "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he."                      Proverbs 29:18

Coach Carter