Eyes That See

When Jesus began his ministry, he taught in a plain manner that was easily understood by all who listened. (See, e.g., Matt. 5-7.) After a time, however, as the people continued to reject his words, he began teaching through parables, which were much more demanding on his listeners. When his surprised disciples asked about this change, the Lord explained that his listeners “seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” (Matt. 13:10, 13.) Building on this idea, the Lord referred to the teachings of Isaiah: “this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed . . . But blessed are your eyes, for they see.” (Matt. 13:15-16.)

Like Jesus, Isaiah sought throughout his prophetic ministry to help his people obtain the blessings available to those who see by faith. At the beginning of Isaiah's ministry, Judah was under threat of invasion from the allied forces of Israel and Syria. (See Isaiah 7:1-2.) Ahaz, the king of Judah, instinctively turned to Assyria, hoping that this powerful enemy of his enemies would be his friend. But, aided by God, Isaiah saw past this conventional wisdom and offered a different solution:

For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy, neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary. . . .

(Isaiah 8:11-14.) Sadly, if not surprisingly, King Ahaz chose the easy way and allied himself and his country with Assyria. His enemies were defeated, as Isaiah had prophesied they would be (see Isaiah 7:7-9), but within a generation, Judah's erstwhile ally once again sought to expand its empire southward, this time by conquering Judah. Only when the Assyrian armies were at the gates of Jerusalem did the people turn to God for protection. (See Isaiah 37: 15-20) He heard their cries and answered their prayers in a miraculous way (see Isaiah 37:36-38), showing the power available to those who rely on God.

Unfortunately, the failure to see does not just operate on the macro-level of international conflict. Upon landing after one of his many crossings of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was approached by Jairus, one of the rulers of the local synagogue, who plead with the Master to save his sick young daughter's life. Jesus readily consented, but before they could arrive, some servants from Jairus's household delivered the news that his daughter had died. (Mark 5:21-24, 35.) But “[a]s soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:36.) They continued to Jairus's house, where there was “tumult” and great weeping and wailing over the loss of the child. Seeing this, Jesus asked “Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.” (Mark 5:38-39.) The mourners responded by “laugh[ing] him to scorn.” (Mark 5:40.) Like Judah of old, they did not have eyes to see, and thus were not permitted to see the Lord extend his power to make good his word, commanding the damsel to arise. (Mark 5:41-43.)

Now we face great troubles at both the macro and the micro level. During the past year, the world economy has been shaken to its foundations, leaving nations across the globe to wrestle with challenging—and divisive—political questions. Meanwhile, the social moorings that once upheld the fundamental morals and institutions of society are not crumbling so much as being actively targeted for vicious attack by forces bent on sweeping them away in the tide of the “new” morality. All of these large-scale problems inevitably trickle down to create the individual challenges of unemployment, broken families, anger, frustration, worry, fear, and sorrow. And yet, in the spirit of Isaiah and the Savior himself, a modern prophet with eyes to see has once again pointed out another way. Like Isaiah, who understood the dangers posed by the Syro-Israeli alliance (see Isaiah 7:2) and nonetheless urged his people to find sanctuary in their God, and Jesus, who undoubtedly knew that Jairus's daughter was dead (compare John 11:11-14) and yet urged Jairus to believe, President Thomas S. Monson has recognized the difficulties of our day and yet promised that “[t]he future is as bright as your faith.” (Be of Good Cheer.)

By seeing things as Christ sees them—and thus seeing them as they really are (see Jacob 4:13)—we will find power to look past conventional wisdom and conventional worry and find sanctuary in the strength of the Lord. Bereft of the institutional supports that have sustained previous generations financially, politically, socially, or morally, we have a choice to be swept along with the powerful, destructive tides around us or to turn to the Lord, rely on his arm, and stand fast to see his salvation. (See Isaiah 52:10.) The message of prophets then and now is that, for those who have eyes to see, the Lord’s salvation is available to bless the lives of families and nations that look to him. Truly, our future will be as bright as our faith.

Days of Reckoning

Growing up, I loved trips to the dentist. It was an adventure to get out of school early and go somewhere outside the normal routine. Unlike a lot of people, I never minded opening wide or having various instruments stuck in my mouth. It was a challenge to see how long I could endure biting down on the gel fluoride. And at the end of it all, I got a “free” toothbrush and a balloon blown up with the air blower and twisted into shape as an animal or a sword. Now that I’m older, visiting the dentist isn’t nearly as fun—it’s become more like a day of reckoning. Neither thorough flossing the night before nor meticulous brushing the morning of can hide the fact that I’ve gone weeks without flossing. I know it, and the dentist knows it.

Of course, in the days and weeks beforehand—usually around bedtime—the thought comes to take a minute, grab some floss, and take care of my teeth. But more often than not, the lure of sleep, or a good book, quickly overrides that thought and I go about my nighttime routine. The moment is lost, but there’s always tomorrow. Tomorrow follows tomorrow, and before I know it, it’s time to go to the dentist again, hoping that somehow, I can hide my failure and that it won’t come back to haunt me in the form of a cavity.

All too often, the same thing happens with promptings from the Holy Ghost. As I go about my day, insights may come into challenges I’m facing or a scripture I've read. Planning to write them down later, I frequently find that when “later” finally rolls around, I no longer remember the insight—or certainly not with the clarity and power it had when it was fresh in my mind. Likewise, impressions may come to make changes in my life, usually to begin doing something I haven’t been. So I make plans to change my schedule to allow for this new activity, only to find that those plans keep getting pushed aside by the force of inertia or pushed into tomorrow by the lure of a more appealing activity.

The danger of tomorrow is that by the time it becomes today, it may already be too late. Of course, through the Atonement of Christ, the decision to act is never ultimately late. But it may still be proximately late, like it was for Oliver Cowdery, who, when given a chance to help translate the Book of Mormon, failed to follow through and saw the window of his opportunity close. (See D&C 9:1­­-5.) Failures like these never hinder the Lord or his work; he will always find another servant—a Samuel or a Joseph Smith—with ears to hear his word and hands prepared to act when the Elis or Olivers fall short. The tragedy falls instead on the shoulders of those who could have served, had they acted promptly on the call.

And so, I begin this blog over a year after receiving the call (see Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet by Elder M. Russell Ballard), hoping that the window of my opportunity has not closed and that it is not too late for me to say, like Samuel of old, “speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” (See 1 Samuel 3:9-10.)