Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. // Mark 8:25
The only guarantee was that each day would be filled with stories and paperwork at my job at the homeless shelter in Denver.
One day on a day like any other, I sat at my desk to read through the intake paperwork completed by my newly assigned client. As I reviewed a packet that would tell me something of this woman, I was interrupted by a sound outside my door, a hearty and free laughter. I opened my door to see where that joyful noise was coming from and saw that it belonged to a blind woman. I introduced myself to her, told her she had a great laugh, and asked her what her name was. She said, “I’m your next appointment.”
After settling into the office chairs and introducing ourselves to one another, we began to review her intake responses. Moving through the paperwork, we arrived at the last question, “What is your greatest strength?” Her response was, “My blindness.”
Even though she couldn’t see my face, I’m sure she felt the gravity and surprise newly recognized in the room. She asked if I was okay. I asked if she could share the reasoning behind her greatest strength. She said, “My blindness makes me dependent on God and others.”
In a world that defines strength as success, this woman was Jesus in disguise, coming to me and restoring my sight. Our poverty is our greatest strength, whether it comes in the form of blindness or not. When we recognize and surrender our poverty over to God, a way is made in the wilderness of our hearts, and He sends us to a new home, a home filled with those whose sights have been restored.
May we give Jesus permission to lay His healing hand on our poverty so that, like my friend, we can proclaim that our strength rests in the way Jesus gazes on us.
A way is made in the wilderness of our hearts. // Senite SahlezghiClick to tweet
Senite Sahlezghi is a consecrated virgin for the Archdiocese of Denver. Native to Colorado, she is a first generation Eritrean American, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a master’s in Counseling Psychology, and serves as the School Counselor for St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School. Grateful to be in a place surrounded by mountains and live music, the greatest privilege of her life remains being called to be Christ’s bride.
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