Blindsight
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING (HEART – NIV, NASB) being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. – Ephesians 1:15-21.
Can the brain see even when a person is blind? Scientists call the possibility, “blind sight.” Using volunteers, scientists have induced temporary blindness using magnetic pulses to affect the visual cortex. Volunteers who were blinded temporarily were asked to identify on a computer screen the orientation of a line, and also the color of different balls. The volunteers had a success rate of 75% for the line orientation, and 81% for color of the balls. Some scientists suggest that there may be an alternate way for the brain to process visual information. This alternative way could provide some hope for people who have damage to their visual cortex. Dr. Edmond Fitzgibbon is with the National Eye Institute and says that the possibility of an alternate, or second pathway for experiencing sight, and the results of the study are “intriguing.” He added “…there can be perception that people aren’t aware of, such as subliminal suggestions briefly flashed during a film. If you’re not aware of it, does that really mean you didn’t see it?”
That is a good question, “If you’re not aware of it, does that really mean you didn’t see it?” Perhaps an even better question is, “If you’re not aware of it, does that really mean that it doesn’t exist?” For countless billions of people across this world what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG). For them, nothing exists besides what they can see with their physical eyes. However, the spiritual fact is that there is so much more than just what we can see physically.
The apostle Paul prays that our spiritual eyes, the eyes of our heart, would be opened so we can see what great spiritual riches we possess. How much richer our lives are, if we can see beyond the physical to spiritual. How much easier it is to walk in the steps of our Lord, when we see beyond the troubles and temptations of this world, to the glories of the next.
The enhancement of our spiritual sight should be an ongoing process and priority in our lives. We should pray for the eyes of our understanding, of our heart to be opened, and we should continually work toward bringing that about. We live the Christian life; walk the walk, by faith now. So, when something unexpected arrives at our door, we should always pray seeking God’s will and purpose, looking beyond the physical to the spiritual. With each step of faith, we are exercising our spiritual eyes.
Open your eyes! Open the eyes of your heart, and what do you see?
(There is much more to life than what you can see with your physical eyes.)