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I came across a blind man one day in the middle of town. This was when I lived in a hustling, bustling city of 7 million. Many people passed by him to and from the metro. He would sit near the metro entrance with all his instruments situated just so around him. People would stop and sit on the steps and watch and listen to him play and sing.

He never ceased to amaze me. One look into his wide open sightless eyes tells you he is blind. And every time I passed by I would be caught, unable, unwilling, to go on. Mesmerized. Captivated.

Captivated by his talent. It would have been amazing enough should it have been a normal man skilfully playing multiple instruments. He was even more captivating precisely because he was blind yet so skilfully played. Several instruments I did not even recognize…

Captivated by his heart. He sang before hundreds if not thousands of people who walked by every day. But he sang not just any song; he sang love songs to his Creator, his Maker, his Savior…singing of his faith that made him press on and share his hope with others. What beautiful bravery. In such a secular public place, I found my heart moved by the sight of the blind man sharing his faith in the way he knew how to anyone who would pause and listen.

Captivated by his attitude. He could have been deeply depressed about his condition. He could have said “woe is me, I am useless, so I am nothing”. He could have been hopeless. Hopeless that no one would or could give him a job because he couldn’t see. He could have chosen to rely completely on others for his sustenance and survival…He could have…He could have…

Captivated by his choice. Instead of drowning in a dark sea of hopelessness, he chose to overcome his limitation. His obstacle. His Achilles’ heel. His – to most people – insurmountable blindness. And he found a way to not only survive, but thrive. He chose to overcome his blindness and learn to not only sing, but to play multiple instruments. He chose to be brave and sing and play in the open square. He chose to sing, not just about anything, but about his faith – the very thing that drives him and gives him hope of a future without blindness. He chose to make the most of his condition…to even take advantage of his situation, and turn it into good. His heart was good and right and bold and brave and true.

As I stand there watching him, I turn inward to my own heart and wonder, is my heart good and right and bold and brave and true? Would I have overcome if this had been me? Am I capable of overcoming my obstacles? I long to break free of what holds me back. I long to reach a higher place of purity, humility, loving-kindness, forgiveness.

And then I realize…it’s a choice…just like the blind man, I have a choice. I can choose to hold on and wallow in my limitations, my past hurts, offenses, grudges and failures or I can choose to let them go and never allow them to influence me or hold me back ever again. Because surely…if the blind man overcame his seemingly insurmountable physical limitation of blindness, then so I too can overcome my much simpler physical and emotional barriers.

And thankfully, the wise man of Ecclesiastes knew what he was saying when he wrote that time heals. Over time I have been able to one by one let go of past hurts and prejudices….and enter into a life of joy, peace, wellness, and freedom. And am still on this journey.

But I’ve always found that letting go of past pain and hurt is not easy…nor am I able to accomplish it on my own. The healing comes rather through the gentle, loving hands of Papa God. We can try as hard as we might to pull out the painful root all on our own, but it’s not until we surrender ourselves and become vulnerable and cry out

“Papa, I can’t do it on my own anymore…I need You!”

That’s when we feel His tender strong hands wrapping around ours to help pull out the entire root, the entire hurt, the entire offense, the entire lie…then remaining in that place of vulnerability and trusting Him to bind up the wound and plant new seeds of restoration and love in its place…

You beloved, have the same choices to make. Your obstacle may be physical; it may be emotional or spiritual. What is your obstacle, your limitation, to obtaining freedom? No one is exempt. We have all been hurt, made wrong choices, taken offense, held a grudge, been jealous, envious.

So where is your hurt? What do you need to surrender to take a step towards freedom? Where have you been wounded by a family member or friend or teacher? Are you struggling to forgive them for hurtful words spoken over you?

Oh beloved…give over your hurt to Jesus, tell Him about it…and then open your heart and hands and say

“Hear I am, I let go, and I give this hurt over to You, Jesus, I’m tired of it hurting and I’m tired of it holding me back!”

It is a beautiful anomaly…the more we give up and surrender, the more freedom we have. Try it. Test it. Discover for yourself that willing, vulnerable surrender brings greater joy, greater strength, greater peace, and greater freedom.

The root of bitterness loves to burrow deep in our hearts and fester in that open wound as long as it’s presence is allowed there…dear one, choose today to dig out that root as deeply painful as it may be….because in the end your bleeding will heal, your wound will heal, and your heart will heal….and you will be free to enjoy life and pursue your destiny like never before!

If a blind man can overcome his blindness, surely you and I can overcome what holds us back from being all that we were created to be. There is a heart beating furiously and fiercely inside you crying out to be released into destiny, into your God-given purpose. This is your time, you have but one life…go fly!

And though the blind man may never see me in this life…I look forward to a time when I can look into his eyes and tell him what an inspiration he was to me…