A Look at Blindness

And so today  we celebrate the World Braille Day to commemorate the   birthday of Louis Braille who invented  the Braille language that enables the blind  and visually impaired to read and write.This has helped to ensure that this disability has not robbed them of the benefits of being literate.Blindness could be attributed to several causes and has several types,all of which  usually impose some limitations making it an issue of concern to everyone involved.

God is also concerned about blindness.In the Old Testament,he placed a curse on any one who leads the blind astray ( Deuteronomy 27:18 ).The writers of the gospels were also careful to let us know that Jesus was equally concerned about the blind and healed several of them (Matthew 9:27-28,12:22,Mark 8:22-23,John 9:),mentioning Bartimeaus(Mark 10:46-51) as an example of his personal touch.Part of Jesus's mission statement included restoring sight to the blind(Luke 4:18,John 9: 39b).

The world without Christ is in a state of spiritual blindness caused by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 3:4)  and God expects us to help the blind like Job did(Job 29:15).Sometimes this might mean witnessing verbally but the most powerful witnesses are usually a life lived out for God whose joy is unchanged by circumstances (1 Peter 2:12).But for us to lead the blind, it is imperative that we are not also blind so that we do not end up in the ditch(Matthew 5:14).

As Christians, we can suffer from spiritual blindness and should be wary of the causes such as hatred(1 John 2:9-11)   or spiritual visual impairment which can be caused by inability to add  qualities such as goodness,knowledge,...love to  our basic faith in an increasing measure.(2 Peter 1:5-9).

Louis Braille was not born blind but became blind at the age of three.Those three years when he had his sight put enough  passion in him with a vision  that caused him to help others.We as  Christians were at one time  blinded by the god of this world but have been translated to the kingdom of light (Colosians 1:13,Ephesians 5;8)with its many benefits.This leaves us with an obligation   of helping others  to receive their sight. This can only be done through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:14)  by the power of the Spirit(Luke 4:18).His immense contributions to the physically blind and visually impaired have caused Louise to be honoured every January 4th.  The Bible promises us a greater reward and compensation to any work done for the spiritually blind who are unsaved,counting us as wise in this world  (Proverbs 11:30b ) and promising that we will shine as stars  forever(Daniel 12:3).

Yours in Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A License to Sleep

"Today is the National  Festival of Sleep Day and I confess that I did lie in bed longer. The idea of the day is to ensure that we all catch up on sleep which we may have missed during the holidays".

"It is vain for you to rise up early ,to sit up late,to eat the bread of sorrows,for so he gives his beloved sleep". Psalms 121:4 KJV

 During my undergraduate days, I sometimes quoted the above scriptures especially after I had overslept and failed to meet  a scheduled reading plan. I used it to console myself but such comfort was usually short lived as counteracting scriptures such as".. a little slumber, a little sleep and poverty shall come knocking at your door"(Proverbs 6:10-11) usually left me feeling guilty.Poverty of course for a student like me then  meant  low grades, resits and carry over,none of  which was desirable.What I failed to realize then was that I was trying to work round the clock and more often than not, it was not an issue of oversleeping but rather   nature taking its proper course.

 The necessity and benefits of sleep cannot be overemphasized but the danger lies in  failing to strike a balance. There is a time to sleep and a time to wake up(Ecclesiastes 3:1).Either of the extremes has catastrophic consequences on  both our health and function and even our spiritual lives.

As Christians, we are advised not to sleep so that the coming of the Lord does not take us by surprise(Mark 13:33,1 Thessalonians 5:2-4,6) and another year does mean we are now closer to the coming of the Lord than when we first believed(Romans 13:11).

Engaging in spiritual exercises  such as prayer(Colossians 4:2),study of the Word(Acts 20:32),fasting and not remaining idle(2 Timothy 1:6) can keep us spiritually alert. Just as our brains still function while we are fully asleep physically,it is also possible a have a lot of activities while being fully  asleep spiritually.A sure spiritual sleep checker is our reaction to sin which should be godly sorrow and repentance(2 Corinthians 7:10).Continuous participation in what we know is wrong will dull our consciences (Titus 1:15) and lead us to slumber.

 We cannot afford to sleep spiritually(Ephesians 5:14) as it has dire consequences however  God who does not  sleep(Psalms 121:4)   expects us to  do so physically we can have healthy bodies  to carry out our assignments on earth.

Yours in Him,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.

An Acceptable Year

"To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord"-Luke 4:19. American Standard Version
"To proclaim the year of the Lord's favour"-Luke 4:19  New English Translation
"To announce the time has come when the Lord will save his people "-Luke 4:19 Good News Translation
" And to announce that the time the come for the Lord to show his kindness"-Luke 4:19 Easy to Read Version
"And to tell people that the year when the Lord will help them has come"-Luke 4:19 World English
"And to say this is the year the Lord has chosen"-Luke 4:19 Contemporary English Version
"To announce this is God's year to act"-Luke 4:19 The Message

It is a new year and it has come indeed  with all the excitement and promises that a new season usually brings. Amidst all the celebrations is a certain uncertainty about what the year holds which may sometimes be daunting but it need not be especially  when we  remember that there is one who has gone ahead of us(Isaiah 45:2).

Usually in most congregations, there is usually a word for the direction in which the church is moving but if there is going to be a performance of these things, we on an individual basis will have to take it and personalize it. This will require a certain tenacity that must surely go beyond January.On a daily basis this year, we should confess the word from God that we have received as the word for this season.

 Jesus on opening the scriptures that day in the synagogue, proclaimed that " this is  the acceptable year of the Lord".According to some versions, it is a year that the Lord will help and this help will come as a result of God's favour(Psalms 102:13). If God is going to help us, it means that there must be something we are planning to achieve.There is a goal or several goals in mind and as we do something about it, the Lord's help is promised.This year ,we should not use confusion as an excuse for doing nothing.Neither should we be  trying to do with prayer what increase in capacity will do for us. A true sign that we believe all of the good word that has come from God this season is to get to work(James 2:17)

So no matter what the word from God is for your congregation,we will all need the Lord's help and I am so glad  that the year  the Lord' will help has come(Luke 4:19),It is indeed an acceptable year.

Happy New Year
Grace Tom-Lawyer

A Reason for Bitterness

They were engaged for almost a year and all preparations  were in full gear.The engagement party some months ago had been a huge success and congratulatory messages had not stopped pouring in . He had also made the downpayment for the house in the estate by the river and his childhood friends who were also his groomsmen  had booked their flights already for the big day.He was really grateful to God that everything was going on as planned. Well he was not sure about that one,considering what his fiancee had just told him yesterday.He trusted her but her story was just ridiculous and maybe it would have made things better if  she had just apologized for her unfaithfulness rather than insisting that it was the result of a spiritual encounter.

One of the prominent characters in the just concluded Christmas story is Joseph who is worthy of emulation in the way he handled disappointment and betrayal on hearing Mary's news.Although he had every right to publicly shame her, he decided to do it privately and on receiving instructions in a dream, went ahead with the wedding(Matthew 1:18-24).

It is almost a word from knowledge that this year, we have been offended by others and vice versa.Not all of these may have been delibrate and sometimes time does not dull the pain.But like Joseph, we can choose to do the right thing and not be led by our feelings.According to God's word, the sun should not go down on our anger (Ephesians 4:26) this just gives a foothold to the enemy with a root of bitterness whuch eventually destroys(Hebrews 12:15).

As I thought about the last article of this year, I felt conpelled that we should ensure that we are not going into the New Year with the old year's hurts.Joseph had every reason for bitterness but he chose not to and that is why we can celebrate the Christmas story. He was willing to to give up his rights as the Bible records that he did not sleep with Mary till she gave birth(Matthew 1:24).His actions showed that he held no grudges.

Not everyone who started the year is alive today.Since we are alive, let us enter the New Year bereft of any reason for bitterness.

Happy New Year in advance,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

Before the Wise Men gave Presents

"The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped  him.Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him.They gave him treasures of gold,frankincense and myrrh"-Matthew 2:11 ERV

As a child, I was quite fond of Christmas plays and the Nativity story and always loved to participate in them,  I was therefore thrilled when an opportunity arose last year to accompany a friend of mine to watch her son perform in his school's Christmas play but was disappointed as the Nativity play had a different twist to it. I am not sure if it was in a bid of political correctness but this particular play was titled "Gabriel's Big Break" with a greater emphasis on how the Angel Gabriel had always wanted to deliver a message but never got a chance.He finally got a break when he was  asked to visit Mary following the failure of  another angel  to do the job. I expressed my displeasure on the feedback form.Thankfully,I believe the feedback from other parents also may have contributed  to the  reversion of  the play this year to the original version with Mary, Joseph,Jesus and the visit from the wise men.

As we know,these wise men were led by the star till they eventually found the child Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12).I have always thought that the wise men just brought physical gifts and mentioned it in my previous article,"Christmas Presents or Presence" but a closer look at the verse shows that just before the wise men presented any gifts, they worshiped. Their gifts  were an overflow from the worship experience. 

It is one thing to have brought gifts to a child and quite another to worship the child who had not done anything for them.But they were able to worship because they knew the true worth of the child in front of them.They recognized this was the King that the star represented. Someone has  rightly said that our worship is linked to worth-ship which is how much  value or the amount of worth we place on something.

So this season, as we seek to emulate the wise choices the wise men made,let us remember that before they gave gifts, they worshiped.Let our gifts to the King flow always from a heart of worship for he loves cheerful givers(2 Corinthians 9:6) as well as desires true worshipers(John 4:23).

Merry Christmas
Grace Tom-Lawyer

Christmas Presents or Presence

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given...."-Isaiah 9:6 KJV

"This is how much God loved the world:He gave his Son,his one and only Son.And this is why:so that no one needs to be destroyed ,by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life".For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"-John 3:16 -The Message 

Earlier on this year,I listened to Priscilla Shearer share one of those moments she had with two of her children some Christmases ago when they were much younger.Her two sons were about to open their presents when her husband decided  it was necessary to seize the opportunity to impart some spiritual truth. "Boys,whose birthday is it that we are celebrating?"he asked.The older son replied,"Jesus" while the younger son had a look again at all the Christmas presents,the decorations and the lights and asked "Am I Jesus?". She and her husband had a good laugh and I am sure you are having one too.

The stakes are probably high that you may have bought at least one present or presents for some people in this season and hopefully ,this would have been done within the budget without  the use of a  credit card.Unlike the very first Christmas when Jesus received gifts from the wise men(Matthew 2:11),these days everyone else  seems to receive gifts on behalf of the Celebrant.

But Christmas should not be about receiving  presents alone neither should the fact that we are unable to buy any presents or as many as we would like to  be a cause of disharmony in the home.This is because the birth of Jesus itself is a present from God to mankind(Isaiah 9:6).This gift has also left us with a responsibility to accept(in other words" believe" - John 3:16)  on one hand but unlike the wise men who brought physical presents, we  are also required to give back and present ourselves to God(Romans 12:2).

Christmas presents  are given once a year but  the  present of the birth of a Saviour leaves us  a presence that is available all year round. It  is honouring this presence  that  the first Christmas brought that we should make a priority always.

Choose the Presence above the Presents
Grace Tom-Lawyer

"12 Years a Slave or More"

“And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free”.-John 8:32 Amplified Bible

Earlier on this year, I and two girlfriends of mine decided to go and watch the film"12 Years a Slave" immediately it was released. It was worth every penny. By the time we left the cinema, I realized that I had not only been entertained but also challenged to do some soul searching with provoking thoughts which I decided to share only when the film becomes available in DVD form. Talk of delayed gratification!

I noticed that as the film progressed, it was easy to empathize with the increasing frustration of Solomon Northup (acted superbly by Chiwetel Ejiofor) who had been deceived, kidnapped and sold into slavery. Following a failed attempt at escape, he is forced to hide the truth about his literacy but eventually gains his freedom with the help of a kindly labourer Bass(Brad Pitt).

At the end of the film I was left in tears but as I reached out for a tissue, the disturbing thought of   how Solomon Northup's   loss of freedom was enacted by a change of location (from Saratoga, New York to New Orleans) crossed my mind. Could a change of location possibly mean or lead to a change in the status of liberty? This location need not be physical as seen in the film. Unfortunately, there is every possibility of being free in some areas while still held captive in others.

What then is the definition of freedom and how can real freedom be attained and maintained? Can one transfer freedom or its principles to other areas of life so that it can be experienced in all facets of life? Is there a process of freedom or is it a once for all event? We shall be considering these issues in greater detail in the New Year but I just thought that we might as well start the ball rolling.

As we celebrate  this season, let us remember that the purpose of the birth of Christ is to set us free(regardless of  how long  we have been held bound) and that God intends this freedom to be thorough and complete. It is however through our cooperation with the Holy Spirit that we can attain this freedom in all of its entirety.

Remember the reason for the season,

Grace Tom-Lawyer