Big Metal Bird
He had never left the island in his whole life and had certainly never been on a plane.
Reference: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18KJV)
Explore: Today I heard an incredible story about seeing to believe. CBM work to assist people with disabilities in developing nations and one of the incredible things they do is perform cataract operations.
One of their outreach clinics discovered a man in his 70s who had cataracts in both eyes. He lived in a far distant island and his vision had been impaired for 30 years. He had never left the island in his whole life and had certainly never been on a plane.
To explain to the man what was going to happen they told him he would get in a big metal bird and fly to the clinic where they would gently poke at his eye but then he’d be able to see again. He agreed to go and the operation was a huge success.
The man was so overjoyed to receive his sight again, they couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. That was, until they got back to the airfield.
As they were about to board the plane the man asked what it was. They told him it was the metal bird he had flown in to get to the clinic and it would quickly get him back home.
He didn’t care how long it would take, he refused to get back on the plane. Now that he had seen the huge, heavy flying machine there was no way he would trust it to get him home. And so, he ended up having to take a boat all the way back to his island home.
Application: This man had experienced flying but when he saw the reality of flight he was much less trusting.
The writer of the Ephesians prayed they would have their eyes opened to all that God had called them to. But there are times that I understand why God reveals things to us bit by bit.
Just like the man with the plane, there are plans that seem quite overwhelming for us. God knows what is best. All we need to do is trust in His never-failing love and remember the hope we have in Him.
Prayer: Lord, if we follow Your ways it may not always be easy, but we will always have Your hope to rely on. May we not be overwhelmed with what is before us but trust in Your love and faithfulness. Amen.
What step of faith is God asking you to take?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.