More From Lynda Samuel

The week beginning June 3, 2018, I had contact with three Christian friends who are visually impaired.  I had the privilege of offering hospitality to an itinerant evangelist who is registered blind, and travels huge distances by train. He has no qualms asking people to help him negotiate airports, stations, etc.  He is a very sociable extrovert who enjoys meeting people and introducing them to Jesus. 

Another friend is my prayer partner, who is registered partially sighted and has mobility difficulties due to arthritis.  She and I went to a film together — it was about an 84-year-old widow who, when all her caring responsibilities were over, decided to come to Scotland and climb a mountain.  It was a chance for my friend to get a glimpse of mountain views which she will never be able to visit herself.  The adventurous spirit of the elderly lady portrayed on the screen was an incentive to me and my friend to avoid limiting ourselves and to choose to live life as fully as we can.

The third friend is a retired nurse, now registered blind due to macular degeneration.  She used to love doing crosswords, so I send her batches of 24 clues in a very large font which she is able to read with her peripheral vision.  I enclose tips and answers on separate papers.  This helps her keep her brain active on rainy days when she can't do her gardening. 

These last two friends live alone and have had to learn to fend for themselves.  One is fiercely independent; the other, whose visual difficulties developed in her mid-40s, is prone to anxiety and finds it hard to ask for help.  Each of my friends copes with their limited vision in different ways.  But they all believe in Jesus and have a living relationship with Christ.

I have been wearing glasses now for over 20 years, but I am still able to drive. Vision is such a wonderful gift. I enjoy reading — both text and musical notation — and have no problem cooking and managing my home.  I live in a flat in a city, but I have easy access to parks, where I gaze in appreciation at the beauty of God's creation.

My heart's desire is to continue maturing spiritually as I grow older.  The Christian gospel is a pearl of great price. Now I see as through an opaque glass, with blurred vision, but I eagerly anticipate the happy day when I shall be spiritually enlightened; I shall see God, face-to-face in God's bright, glorious, dazzling light.  How awesome that will be.