Dear Vinny,
You said this beautifully.  I just don't have the energy to spend all my
time praying for me to be healed when there is so much else to do for his
glory.  I do wish that I could see.  I think about it, especially now that
I seem to be losing some of the little bit of vision that I do have, but I
know that my situation, all of it, is in the Lord's hands.  He must think
that I can do what he has called me to do without my eyes so that, like
Paul, I do what is at hand until I am equipped to do otherwise.
Kathy



At 01:20 AM 2/3/2005, you wrote:
>Hi Everyone,
>   Here I go off again on another of my preachings.  Please read and judge.
>Vinny
>     I have often thought and heard about the blind men that Jesus healed.
>There is one vast difference between them and ourselves.  This is  not a
>value judgment or partiality, but just the facts.
>We just don't have the same desperation to see as they did.  Their lot in
>life  was that they were about as low on the scale of things as the leper.
>They had no way to make an income but to beg, and had no hope to ever go up
>the income or social scale.
>     Thanks to Louis Braille, and the inventors of the braille writer, bns,
>and computer, and many, many other blind heroes who have fought predjudice
>and achieved great things even without technology, thanks to all these, we
>don't have such a desperate need to see, or for the same reasons, as those
>in bible times.
>Before I became a christian, I used to be angry at all the references to to
>blind beggars in the bible, because I thought they strengthened the
>predjudice of the world against the blind.
>Today, even, now, if you go to china, and many many other third world
>countries the situation is not much better, than in Jesus' day.
>
>     Now, all this coupled with all those mis-guided Christians who think
>they are going to heal us to put another notch in their belt.  Also, all
>those who accuse us of not having enough faith--you all know what I mean,
>etc. etc.
>     OI am sure that if we all wrote our stories, it would take days to read
>them all.
>         I know that in my life, after so many such miserable experiences
>with Christians who thought they could force "God to heal us, I have had to
>come, by prayer and crying out to the Lord, to the following conclusions for
>my own life.  Let everyone read and judge.
>     For me, after a most degrading experience with a famous healing
>minister, and many others along the way, I prayed, and felt like the Lord
>said the following to me.
>     "Don't even pray for the healing of your eyes until I tell you that it
>is time".
>
>  And like the blind man in John 9, use the blindness to allow God to be
>glorified in my life.
>Since that time I have come to some other conclusions.
>That is as follows:
>     For me, the most important is seeing in the spirit.  In other words,Can
>I see what God is doing in my life, do I know him and his ways in my life
>and the lives of others, do I have an intimate relationship with him, so
>that He can speak and I can hear him and obey him?
>     Can I see Him, past myself and my needs, and can I allow Him to flow in
>my life, and use me to positively influence those In my sphere of influence?
>This, to me, is real sight that I need.
>O yes, I would like to be able to see my wife, who I know is beautiful
>anyway.. I would like to be able to read and sighread regular music so I can
>play whatevr is et before me.  It would be nice to finally see what is
>color, and what a sunset is like--but these thing are not necessary to live.
>But can I see God and His ways.  If God gives me that kind of sight, what
>else do I need?
>Vinny
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Rhonda" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 6:21 PM
>Subject: Re: Safe Place Fellowship
>
>
> > A friend once asked me once if I had ever prayed and asked God about my
> > sight, I said no,  my reason being that I see God as a Father, and what if
> > for example as a child you wanted a new bike, if you thought your father
> > would say no, would you be likely to ask for the bike you desired.  I
>guess
> > I had feared a negative answer.  But after talking and praying with this
> > friend I did pray, and to my surprise, I was not devistated with no quick
> > answer, I suddenly felt I was surrounded by love and protection, I had One
> > who cared for me, so I need not fear asking, when the time was right, I
> > would receive my sight.  I don't know what that time is, but as Sandy
>says,
> > there are other things higher on the list!
> > I guess I would like to see things like my girls and Ben, but, I've  never
> > really had sight, so I can't miss it, but  I do  pray for other things,
> > health for Ben, a job, direction for our life, and I am very glad to see
>God
> > work in our lives!
> > Rhonda
> >
> >
> >
> > --
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