Matt 9:27-21 And when JESUS departed thence, two blind men followed HIM, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when HE was come into the house, the blind men came to HIM, and JESUS saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto HIM, Yea, LORD. Then touched HE their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And, their eyes were opened... But they, when they were departed, spread abroad HIS fame in all that country. [King James translation]
Summary:
Two men who are blind make their way to JESUS. The men ask JESUS to have mercy on them (each man asking for himself and his companion). When JESUS asks them if they believe that HE is able to heal them, they say: “Yes LORD.” According to their faith, they are healed. When the men leave JESUS, they spread the news about JESUS all over the region.
Food For Sight:
Carrots are probably one of the best known good foods for the eyesight. Carrots are rich in beta carotene and lutein, which are antioxidants that help prevent eye damage. According to Healthline, yellow carrots contain the most lutein, which may also prevent Macular Degeneration. See https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-carrots-good-for-your-eyes#carrots-and-eye-health. Macular Degeneration is an age-related medical condition that affects older adults and results in the loss of sight. It is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans older than age 55 years.
Other foods that are considered good for sight include:
- Dark green leafy vegetables – According to the Mayo Clinic, lutein and zeaxanthin are found in high concentrations in broccoli, spinach, peas, and
other green vegetables.) Foods with omega-3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed, almonds
Zeaxanthin is another powerful antioxidant, which helps to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.
Other foods that help the eyes include:
- Foods rich in vitamins A, C, E (berries, oranges, and other citrus fruits and drinks.
Some of the preventive measure to take include:
- Avoiding cigarette smoke. According to studies on eye disease and smoking: Smoking increases the risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and Dry Eye Syndrome.
-
-
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Smokers are three to four times more likely to develop AMD than nonsmokers. Nonsmokers living with smokers almost double their risk of developing AMD - Cataracts
Heavy smokers (15 cigarettes a day or more) have up to three times the risk of cataracts as nonsmokers. - Glaucoma
There is a strong link between smoking and high blood pressure, cataracts and diabetes, which are all risk factors for glaucoma. - Diabetic Retinopathy
Smoking increases a person’s risk of getting diabetes and makes managing diabetes more difficult. Complications of diabetes, made worse by smoking, include stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, foot problems, nerve damage, vascular disease, and other complications. - Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry Eye Syndrome is more than twice as likely to impact smokers than nonsmokers.
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
-
See https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/docs/smoking_can_lead_to_vision_loss_or_blindness.pdf; and https://www.allaboutvision.com/smoking/.
Food For Thought And Prayer
Spiritual blindness can be more crippling and more harmful to our relationships with others and our relationship with GOD than physical blindness. For example, except for Christmas and Thanksgiving, do we put on blinders to the needs of the homeless, those incarcerated or children (in juvenile facilities, in hospitals, in foster care), or the needs of families, or the needs of those in our places of worship? Are we willing to let GOD “enlarge our vision?”
Could it be that we miss opportunities because our “vision” and our faith are “too small?”
Can you envision GOD doing “exceedingly abundantly,” “above all that we ask of think,” “infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes” and “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine?” (Ephesians 3:20; King James, New International, and Living Bible translations) If not, perhaps it is time for a spiritual vision examination.
So, today, pray for greater sight and insight. Ask GOD to touch our eyes and the eyes of our leaders so we recognize injustice, fairness, right, and wrong.
Pray for clearer sight, greater insight and BE BLESSED!
