“Smiling to the Blind,” Ensign, December 2015, 10
Reflections
Smiling to the Blind
The author lives in California, USA.
How often do we anticipate miracles but neglect to open our eyes to those that come?
Illustration by Kayleigh Jolley
In the dark of the night, I sat rocking my new baby until she fell back asleep. She was about six weeks old, and I had been anticipating her first smile to come any day. I loved those moments when I could cuddle quietly in the dark with her but realized that while I spent every waking moment watching carefully for that smile, if she happened to smile right now, with only minimal light in the room, I would miss the moment I so wanted to have with her. All of my waiting and anticipation would be wasted if I did not see her smile—she would be smiling to my blindness.
I began pondering how easily we can find ourselves in similar positions throughout our lives. We often hear of experiences shared by those who have received great blessings in their lives. We hear of miracles that defied the odds. We hear of money showing up when people were down to their last dollar. We hear of angelic ministrations to those who had lost all hope. As we listen to these stories, some of us may reflect on our own trials and wonder, Where are our miracles? Where are our angels?
The real question isn’t why they aren’t there, but why we don’t see them. How often do we anticipate miracles but neglect to open our eyes to those that come? How often do we look to the future, anticipating great blessings and brighter days, but fail to appreciate the beauty in our lives today?
Through my trials, I have come to realize that our loving Heavenly Father is always with us. He loves us and wants us to be happy. His comfort is always available to us, but we have to actively seek that comfort and be willing to accept it.
Most of the time, answers to prayers don’t come with fanfare. Comfort during times of trial comes in the form of a meal delivered by a caring neighbor, a late-night phone call from a loving father who felt the need to check on his daughter, or a compliment from a stranger at the grocery store.
“Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;
“For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite” (D&C 136:32–33).
Like a new mother waiting in a dark room for her child to smile, we will not notice when Heavenly Father smiles upon us and sends His blessings unless our eyes are open. We need to let our faith in Him light the darkness around us.