While working in a jewelry store at the mall, seeing my surroundings and people clearly was very important. I constantly gave customers directions to other stores in the mall and acknowledged them by name and if I didn’t recognize a customer that I had previously helped, I ran the risk of losing a commission.

One day, however, looking out toward the edge of the store, I couldn’t recognize people until they came closer. As people asked me for directions to other stores, I knew them by memory but I could not see them clearly from the store that I worked in.

The next day, on my lunch break, I went and got an eye exam. Turns out, I needed contacts! This may seem obvious to you, but because I had not seen clearly in some time. I had no idea that my world was blurry!

When I came back to work with my new lenses in place, I was amazed at what I could see. People and stores were so clear, even far away. I could see details that I had not seen before. I kept repeating, “This is amazing!” I may have been a little annoying to my coworkers.

Recently, I began re-reading the New Testament and intentionally read it with a fresh perspective. As I approached a few familiar stories, details, that were blurry to me in the past, suddenly were very clear.

Within three chapters of Mark we see that Jesus restores the sight of two blind men. What struck me is the result was the same but the journey was different for each man.

In Mark chapter 8, people bring a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. Unlike other miracles that Jesus performed, this was a progressive miracle as his healing came in two parts. Jesus could have done what we see in other places in scripture and just healed the man right there. But He didn’t.

 ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” ²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:23-25

Jesus led the man out of the village. Through commentary’s I have read there may have been many reasons for that. It struck me that Jesus chose to do it out of the crowd and alone. As I think back to some of the deepest healings in my life, they have come when I have been alone with God. Sometimes, it was because He has led me to places I would never have gone on my own.

Two chapters later, we see that Jesus heals another blind man.

As Jesus, His disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a beggar began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many told the man to be quiet but he continued to yell more.

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” ⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.  Mark 10:49-52 

I love that Jesus is not limited to one way of healing blind eyes.

I wonder if sometimes as we read the Bible we limit Jesus to one way of doing things. We may focus on one perspective or even put Him in a box that we can’t see. If I only read Mark chapter 8, I may have thought that Jesus only heals blindness alone, outside of a village in two stages. First, by spitting in someone’s eyes, touching them and then touching their eyes again.

If I had followed that example and wanted to start praying for the healing of the blind, I would have started a spitting ministry.

That sounds silly

However, I believe we do that with scripture too often. We see one way that Jesus does things and we convince ourselves that is the ONLY WAY to do things. Yet, He is Jesus. He can do things however He wants to and that is still true today.

When we read the account of Bartimaeus’ healing in Mark 10 we see that Jesus simply tells him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” He healed him in the middle of a crowd, and in one-step. Different than we see in Mark 8.

There are two things that can’t be missed in these accounts.

1. Jesus can do things however He wants to.

Sometimes we focus too much on the “how” instead of the “who”. The longer I have been in ministry, the more I am in awe of the ways God has blown up every box that I have tried to put Him in.

The ways I thought Jesus ‘did’ things were unimaginably different in each of our lives. He is the One who meets us where we need Him. He meets us how we need Him and even when we don’t have any idea that we do need Him.

2. We can’t compare our journey of restoration with others. 

For me, I regained my sight with the use of contacts. For others it is glasses, and some use surgery to correct their sight.

If you compare your journey with Jesus to other peoples journey, you may find yourself seeking THE miracle instead of the GIVER of the miracle.

Maybe you are seeking physical healing or a marriage miracle, relationship restoration with a child, or freedom from an addiction. Your healing will look different than others.

Jesus is PERSONAL.

Your journey might not look like you expect it to look.

It may come alone in silence.

It may come in a crowd.

It looks different for everyone, but God is moving at all times.

Our journey to restoration in our lives is unique.

Each individual journey to restoration looks different. Your journey is individual to you and you alone.

I pray that we do not limit the ways that we can encounter Jesus along our journey and that we do not compare our journey to others. Remember, if you are breathing air, God is not finished with you yet.

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