How quickly we break. How slowly we heal. With a fall and a snap, an arm can be broken in seconds. It will take at least 6 weeks to heal. A long term friendship can be injured in the time it takes to say a harsh word. It will be long before trust and laughter is restored. A loved one can be lost in a tragic instant, but whatever closure is - it is not fast. I can offend my Lord and stain my soul in the brevity of thought. God is quick to forgive, but I may bear the weight of my wound for some time. Have you ever asked why this is so? Why does healing take so long?

The trajectory of our life takes us from smaller to larger. Born at 5 to 7 pounds, we mark healthy growth by getting bigger. We get bigger in other ways too. More stuff in our garage, more certificates on our walls, more names in our address book, more data to manage and more responsibilities to carry. Life's graph is an upward slope, tracking our increase. So, it jolts us when God tells us to flip that chart upside down. The trajectory of our soul on faith's journey is from larger to smaller.

I miss being carried. Many years and pounds ago, I could stretch my arms to mom or dad and up I’d go. I would enjoy a free ride and my legs wouldn't have to fight to keep up. Frankly, I have no current recollection of it happening, but I know it did. Family photos prove it. Well now, I’ve progressed from being carried to being the carrier and it’s still a special time.

You would think that being blind is something you would notice. How could anyone be unaware of it? Yet the Scripture teaches that there was a time when we were all blind, and blind to our blindness! (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6)  Everyone is born insensitive to spiritual light. Our souls are veiled to the truth.

Power and privilege are rarely recognized as such by those who have it. These advantages are considered normal, deserved or taken for granted by the entitled. They become the lens by which perspective is shaped to see the world. This seeing becomes a form of blindness. That is our problem. It is powerfully displayed by the events of this week.