Have you ever looked for something, such as your keys, and not been able to find them? And after looking for them for several minutes or perhaps several hours, you find them right in front of your nose! How could we have missed it? This problem is aggravated when you look for a solution to a problem or seek direction and purpose in life, and you just can’t seem to find it.
What if it’s right in front of your eyes? Your keys, the solution to your problem, your life purpose. It’s all right there. But how does it help us if we can’t see it?
In this week’s Torah Portion, Vayeira, we have a similar story. Hagar wanders through the desert with her son, Ishmael. “And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs…she lifted up her voice, and wept…And G-d opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad to drink.” (Genesis 21:15-19)
The Midrash relates the following eye-opening insight: “Rabbi Binyamin says that all people are assumed to be blind until G-d illuminates their eyes.”
Each morning we recite a blessing, “Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, king of the universe, who opens the eyes of the blind.” Certainly, regular physical vision is something for which we can express gratitude. Thank you G-d, that I can see! But there is a deeper dimension. This is a blessing and a request that, now that we can see, may we be granted effective vision.
The first step in corrective vision is to think about what it is that we desire to see. We can elevate and improve our life by seeing the positive in our life, the blessings that are in front of our eyes, and the amazing opportunities that are put before us. When you see an obstacle, when you see a problem that seems insurmountable, you can actually see something else. What you could envision is that G-d realizes that you have so much more to you than you realize. This will empower you to open your eyes and find the blessed path forward.