Still Visually Impaired

    Imagine complete and total darkness, the inability to see anything, and then...light, images, sight!
    A biomedical engineer at the University of Southern California has developed a process using a tiny HD camera attached to eyeglasses, which wirelessly transmits to a sheet of electrodes that are implanted on the retina, to give partial sight to some who otherwise would be totally and completely blind. It’s already being used successfully on a number of candidates in Europe, where it has been approved for experimentation on humans. It is currently being considered by the FDA here in the states.
    The device, which costs about $150,000, is not perfect, and is still under development, but those using it are grateful for the benefits it has brought to their lives. Their newfound sight enables them to distinguish between dark and light, outlines of figures and persons, as well as distinguishing between some colors. A pedestrian is now able to differentiate between a curb and a sidewalk, make out the lines of a crosswalk, and perceive other pedestrians as well as moving vehicles.
    One recipient said, “Without the system, I wouldn’t be able to see anything at all. When you have nothing, this is something. It’s a lot.”
    Of course, they are hoping that this will develop into a full blown device that gives sight as clear as those who are not visually impaired. But for now, those who have the device are happy for what they can see.
    That reminds me of Paul’s comment in 1 Corinthians 13, “For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12 HCSB). Mirrors in the ancient world were not like today, but they gave a blurry and often distorted reflection (polished metal). Paul was letting us know that incomplete data is our reality in this life. But he was also promising perfect vision in the eternal state, something he and his original readers have been enjoying now for 2,000 years.
    I can see the hand of God in this life, but it is indistinct. I certainly can’t make out everything and there are many things that I know will never make sense in this life. But I’m a bit like the guy wearing the electronic eyesight apparatus. I know I’m missing a lot of data that’s out there. But I’m glad I get to see what I do.
    So let’s be grateful for what God does reveal, trust him for what he does not, and look forward to the day when everything will snap into focus and make perfect sense.