Seeing

 Not all who have eyes see, and not all who have ears hear. It’s not some new malady that was sprung on the unsuspecting of late; it’s always existed in greater or lesser measure. What is new is the level of hubris exhibited by one and all, in that having eyes and not seeing and having ears and not hearing, they insist that the sky is purple and Mozart was an amateur.

It’s the blind trying to convince everyone that they have perfect vision, and the number of souls who believe them that is troubling. If you’ve ever listened to a televangelist and found yourself shaking your head and thinking that’s not what the Bible says, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Aberrant teaching is plentiful, and it’s all geared toward distancing people from Christ. The further you can get someone from the source of life, the less likely they are to return to it. That’s the gambit the devil’s playing, and it’s why specific names are elevated among the godless as having deep spiritual insights and succor for the souls of men.

The devil’s not going to play himself. He’s worked too long and too hard to make an unforced error now, and if his minions are promoting someone as the new flavor of spirituality, there’s a nefarious reason behind it, always, every time.

Numbers 22:28-30, “Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there was a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you? And he said, “No.’”

There’s a lesson in this exchange between Balaam and his donkey that will leave a bruise for some of you. It can’t be helped, it’s necessary, and it’s something worth remembering for as long as you have breath.

Not everyone who praises you is your friend, and not everyone who rebukes you is your enemy!

If you’ve had a loyal friend for ages, and they attempt to correct you one day, don’t assume it’s disloyalty rearing its ugly head. Perhaps it’s the selfsame loyalty they exhibited all those years that is compelling them to risk your friendship in order to point out a danger or make you aware of a blind spot in your life.

We’re quick to react emotionally to anything that challenges us. Even when the doctor tells us our blood work is all over the place and we might want to cut back on the ribeyes cooked in duck fat, our initial reaction is to roll our eyes and think that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Consider that, for all intents, your doctor is a stranger to you. He is a man you pay, either out of pocket or through insurance, to tell you things about yourself that you might not want to hear.

Your friend has been your friend for years without asking for anything in return but for your friendship. They have nothing to gain by telling you something you don’t want to hear, save for having done their duty as a friend and made you aware of something harmful to you either presently or at some point in the future.

Don’t treat your friends like Balaam treated his donkey when all they’re trying to do is protect you from yourself. Consider their track record, what they’ve been through with you, what you’ve been through with them before you strike out in rage so blinding that you don’t even notice the donkey talking to you.

Balaam saw the donkey not obeying his commands as abuse even though what the donkey was doing was sparing Balaam a world of hurt. He was the one beating the poor animal, yet he felt abused by it. He was the one who felt put out for having to exert himself in striking his mule over and over again.

Who’d have thought that the donkey would turn out to be the rational one between the two? While Balaam was fuming, the donkey pointed out that this was the first time anything like this had ever happened. Ever since Balaam had gotten him, the donkey had performed as all donkeys are expected to, without deviation. Would it not behoove Balaam to figure out why the donkey was acting so differently?

Numbers 22:31, “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.”

Sometimes it takes God opening our eyes to see what’s right in front of our faces. Sometimes, for some people, even that is not enough. Even when God speaks to us clearly, we downplay it and try to ignore it because it’s not what we want to hear. At least Balaam had the presence of mind to bow his head and fall flat on his face rather than ask the angel if he could borrow his sword to slay his donkey.

Sometimes the problem isn’t the donkey. Sometimes the problem is you. If you project your anger onto the messenger because you don’t like the message, take a moment and consider whether your eyes are truly open to the truth or need to be opened by the Lord just as Balaam’s were.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.