Acts 9:1-9 They Don't See What You See

Observation: I haven't made an official count, but I think there are almost as many retellings in the New Testament of Jesus' appearance to Saul as there are of Jesus' resurrection itself. What stands out for me about this one is the experience of the guards traveling with Saul: they hear a voice but see no one. Maybe that's good for them, because what Saul sees strikes him blind for several days. It's a vision for his eyes alone.

Application: Perception is a fascinating thing to me. Two people can be at the same place at the same time, seeing, hearing and experiencing the same thing, and end up having very different recollections of what took place.
A very important experience for my own faith journey was attending (then working at) a Christian camp. It grew my faith in a way that little else could have done. It set me on my path to ministry. And I have close friends who I love and still spend time with any chance I get, who had that same exact experience, yet no longer consider themselves Christians. Some are agnostic or atheists. In that special time many years ago, we all heard the same thing. But moving on from that, we aren't seeing the same thing in the world. I don't think that means I did something right and they did something wrong. And I'm pretty sure they don't think I did something wrong and they did something right. The best I can figure, there are just certain times and ways the Holy Spirit works, and it's not the same for everyone. We are not all going to see the same picture of the world, or of God. I tend to think it's okay to still talk about it, but there's no use in judging someone for not seeing what you see. In fact, maybe just listening to how they see things might begin to undo some of the damage done by others who have judged them in the past. What you can't do is make someone see through your eyes. If God wanted it to work that way, we'd all be the same.

Prayer: God, thank you for the path you have shown to me so far. Help me to be humble and honest in sharing my experience with others: warts and all. Amen.