Matthew 17:10 - 13
The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
We are trained to see what we see. We see what we expect to see, or what we want to see. We miss subtle changes or shifts, sometimes things that have been right before our eyes for a long time.
A few years ago I read something Helen Keller shared. One line in particular stuck with me.
“Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. 'Nothing in particular,' she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such responses, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.”
"The seeing see little." That's the line.
"Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him." Teaching about Messiah included the understanding that an "Elijah" would precede Messiah in order to prepare the way. John the Baptist was "Elijah" in the sense of preparing the way for Jesus, yet people did not recognize him. They missed him.
Spirituality is about seeing, recognizing, noticing. It begins with seeing what is evident before us. Certainly there are times when we might see invisible, subtle things, but we don't have to begin in that deep water. Begin by seeing what is already visible in you and around you. Begin by noticing what shows up on your doorstep, what manifests itself in your life-world.
You don't have to possess x-ray vision to see, or put on 3-D glasses. Just pay attention.
A sunset will catch your attention.
The flock of birds will call your name.
Suddenly one day you'll notice the specific words or attitude of a particular person who triggers your anger.
You'll recognize a piece of wisdom intended for you . . . after you've heard it five times from five different sources over a 24 hour period.
Begin there. Of course, there are other things, more subtle things, more invisible things to pay attention to. But you have to start somewhere.
Spiritual practices like prayer, spiritual reading, silence and solitude help us learn to see with our hearts.
Find a spiritual friend or a spiritual guide who sees just a bit more than you do, and invite them to help you pay attention. Or just hang out with them. Seeing doesn't happen by osmosis, but we do learn to see from those who are already seeing.
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