Blind Leading the Blind

Posted by Jesus on March 9, 2007

Every so often it’s important to recognize something being done in the Christian community which isn’t going to get people sent to Hell. To that end, here’s a story about a man who needs little help getting into Heaven. Even though he is blind, Rev. Barry Stirbens is one of those people who would have been able to do anything he wanted in life, and he chose to follow Dad’s calling.

In Massillon, Ohio, Stirbens preaches the same message as most preachers, reads the same Bible as most preachers (although his is Braille), and does the same duties as most preachers. What sets him apart is his unique method of saving souls by putting them to work in the service of Dad. Because he is blind, Stirbens cannot handle some of the usual tasks of the church. So he outsources them.

From the article:

“I don’t handle the (communion) elements,” he said. “I don’t have the best stability in the world, and that grape juice stains.”

Because of his dependence on others, Stirbens sees his blindness as a blessing in disguise. It prompts others in the church to step up to the plate and help out, he said.

“I believe the blindness helps to contribute to a ministry where a lot of people get involved,” he said. “I can’t tell you the number of times people have told me, I never knew Mrs. Jones, or some other shut-in, before. It turns into a whole additional ministry for them.”

When we told you to get out there and spread the Word, this is what we meant. Too often today we see preachers standing in the pulpit handing out lessons and directions for hypothetical situations. In turn, people go into the world without really knowing how to behave as a Christian. The results are pretty pitiful, as evidenced by America’s continuing commitment to homosexuality. Stirbens is different - he puts the congregation to work. If they know how to pray it’s because they’ve done it with him; if they are good shepherds or minister particularly well it’s only because they have learned from him; if they hate homosexuality it is because he too has heard Dad’s Word and has passed it on to them. His congregation are “hands-on” Christians, the kind that actually have a shot at eternal life. Sometimes they even actually ask themselves what I would do before they act. It’s just uncanny.

So I know what you’re all thinking. No, I mean I really know what you’re thinking. Omniscience has some perks, let me tell you. Most of you are wondering if this guy is so blessed and highly favored why is he still blind? That’s a great question, but there’s a relatively simple answer. You see, even though sometimes things look broken to you down there on Earth they are in fact precisely the way Dad wants them. If they weren’t the way they are then Dad would be wrong and none of you would actually exist. Even Stirbens gets it.

More from the article:

Once, in college, some well-meaning people laid hands on him and prayed for God to heal him of his blindness, but nothing happened. That didn’t shake Stirbens nascent faith any.

“I do believe in healing,” he said. “I believe that God heals us in the ways which are most profitable for him.”

So how many of you asked for something you didn’t get last week? Did it shake your faith? Did you get so sick of that Harley-Davidson not magically appearing on your doorstep that you now think the whole prayer thing crazy? Yeah, you know who you are. Meanwhile here’s this blind guy who has only twice outside of this incident even mentioned his blindness to me, who understands that Dad does what Dad has planned and nothing else, who realizes that healing happens when the conditions are right, and who generally gets what he wants from me and Dad. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve hooked this guy up with the perfect phrase, a well-timed sermon, or other countless tools handed down at the right moment. We might not have handled his blindness, but he has gotten what he’s needed. How many of the rest of you have gotten what you needed and still felt slighted because you didn’t get what you wanted?

Also from the article:

Sometimes, people ask him if he is angry at God about his disability. Stirbens always has a ready answer.

“I’m not angry at God. I think that God has been able to use me in the capacity that I am in a positive way,” he said. “God can take any disability and use it for his glory.”

So you see, there are people out there more unfortunate than you are who still manage to live a life of following me. It’s cases like these which really give me an absurd mix of hope and fear for your species. The hope comes from the blind man following a path he can see more clearly without eyes, and the fear comes from the fact that the rest of you are morally blind.

Share and Enjoy: