A man who had been blind from birth had his sight restored. This was unheard of! This was one of the many signs that Jesus performed that gave people a clue to his true identity. But somehow even after such a great miracle, many of the leaders remained clueless. Why? Healing the eyes of a blind person is one thing, but getting people with healthy eyes to OPEN them is a challenge that not even Jesus was always successful at!

Sometimes we just don't WANT to see the truth: "The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to the light…everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light…but whoever lives the truth, comes to the light"(John 3:19-20).

Lent (and life) is a journey toward enlightenment. But without the truth to enlighten us, our personal claims to wisdom just make us the source of humor to all those around us who know better! Lent begins in the heart of winter ~ in the dark. But as we journey toward Easter, slowly but surely, light overcomes darkness. It's called springtime.

If you ask your average person "What's wrong with the world today?" he or she would probably list all the examples of "darkness" manifested around us. But here's the reality: If the world is filled with darkness, the problem is not the darkness. The problem is the light. Darkness simply declares that the light is not doing its job!