Blessed. Grateful. Awestruck (Part 2)

Posted by Marti on March 27, 2015 in Pray, Uncategorized | 6 comments

Dear friends,

Today I’m sharing part 2 of my “was blind, but now I see” story. It will make much more sense if you read Part 1.

Next step: surgery: one eye at a time, two weeks apart. I hoped I would end up with decent vision. Maybe my glasses wouldn’t need to be as heavy, or maybe I could go back to my contacts. Maybe I wouldn’t need glasses for driving. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but based on how little I could see with my left eye, I knew to expect some sort of improvement.

I had a clue after the first surgery** when they wheeled me back to the recovery area and I could read a clock on the wall from about fifteen feet away. I don’t ever remember being able to read a clock without corrective lenses. I smiled.

My smile expanded as the week progressed. I had no pain. I had no light sensitivity—even the first day. And when I laid my glasses on my dresser after returning from the first surgery, I never picked them up again. “God must love you a lot,” Dr. Hunter said at the one-week checkup.

“Of course He does!” I responded.

Dr. Hunter then explained that something rare had happened: my near vision improved much more than anticipated for this type of surgery, to 20/20. No wonder I didn’t need my glasses!

The second surgery went almost like the first with no pain, no problems. I told my husband I thought maybe the results weren’t quite as good, but since I had a little miracle the first time, I was more than satisfied.

I was right. When I went for my one-week checkup, the vision in the right eye was 20/25. Not quite as good—but again, much, much better than anticipated. This time, Dr. Hunter said, “You have the special blessing of God on your life.”

I’ll take that. And I am, and I do. Because today—almost three weeks after the first surgery and one week from the second—I have 20/15 vision in both eyes. And Dr. Hunter has no medical way to explain this. “You have the results people pay thousands of dollars to get—without paying thousands of dollars,” he told me. He also said, “You have the best results for this type of surgery of anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Although he’s a person of faith, Dr. Hunter didn’t call what happened a miracle. But I do. I think eye surgery is a miracle in itself. And just as Jesus chose to heal some people with a word, some with a touch, some with mud made from clay and spittle, he chose to heal my eyes through surgery. Who but God could make the results so “exceeding abundantly” better than expected? And that’s why I’ve chosen to share this story. I can’t tell it without expressing gratitude for a wise doctor and all glory to God the Father.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about how much God loves me. So now, when I pick up a book or look across the room to read the clock or notice the beautiful sunset—all without corrective lenses—I remember how wide, how deep, and how strong is that love. And that sometimes He chooses to give His children good gifts.

Gifts that last. Gifts that leave them Blessed. Grateful. Awestruck.

Every day.

 Then again He laid His hands on [her] eyes; and [she] looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly (Mark 8:25).

Do you have chronic vision problems? Perhaps your eyes are much worse than mine were. I’d love to pray for you. Leave a comment here or on other social media, and I’ll be sure to pay attention (and pray). 

**And for those of you who are afraid (as I was) of the very idea of eye surgery: it’s easier than any surgery I’ve ever had. The worst part (and this isn’t bad at all) is probably all the drops to numb your eye. For this surgery, medicine that makes you not care/remain unaware without completely putting you under is a fantastic idea. Eye surgery is simply not a problem. Even for a chicken like me.