I can see clearly now the rain has gone …

— Johnny Nash

Greetings, Inspired Seekers!

How clearly are we really seeing? This question has been hovering within me during the past month as the tragedy unfolded in Ukraine and coincided with my cataract surgery. Yes, I am “of an age” as my mother would say. Perhaps you can relate! If not, hold on, you'll get there. Following the surgery, which, I am happy to report, was successful, I realized how clouded my vision had been. Even with glasses. For the last several years. Yikes!

What I had blindly accepted (sorry, I couldn't resist!) as fine vision, was, actually, not as crisp and clear as I had thought. It was, in fact, quite blurry. Hmm… Now, with new lenses, the world appears brighter and more clearly defined. I can see just how much I was missing before my implanted lenses.

I recalled a line from an old prayer: We can only see where You are in what is. At that moment I experienced an eye-opening flash of spiritual clarity. How much of the Divine Presence, how much of the holiness in each other are we missing because we are not able to see “what is?” How is our vision of the world, of our God, of each other and of ourselves clouded because of the filters that blur the details? How is our perspective shaded? And what are some of the consequences – intended or not – of our dulled vision? Without the brightness and clarity of grace-full vision, hatred, greed, war, a lack of compassion and understanding are just a few of the sad landscapes. Injustice, fatigue – I'm quite sure that you could develop a long list of heartbreaking troubles.

Without clarity of spiritual sight, how do we offer service? How do we practice our traditions when we are blinded to the traditions of others? How do we transform ourselves, heal our wounds and reshape ourselves? We cannot move to healing the world until we heal ourselves and we cannot heal ourselves until we can see with new eyes.

With a loss of vision comes a loss of spirit – and Spirit. Yes, I fell prey to languishing on the sofa when my eyes healed, while the swelling subsided, but then there was a shift. Not only did I have new lenses, I felt a newly implanted spirit, a breath of clarity.

In these dark days, as we pray, meditate, light candles or chant, as we set our intentions for peace and deep compassion for the suffering, perhaps we need to gain a fresh perspective; to open our eyes to a new and more detailed view of the world, to be fully present and to allow Spirit, hope and faith to be the lenses, newly implanted, in each of us. For it seems that “love is blind” might not be serving us well after all.

Grace, Always Yours,
Reverend Deborah

Question of the Month: Are you willing to reevaluate your own perspective and restore clarity?

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington helps others clarify their personal spiritual vision and can be reached at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com or 215 260 1611.