Embracing the Vision
by Rev. Kamatara Johnson
I just recorded the song Amazing Grace for a memorial service and reconnected with the words “was blind, but now I see.” As I contemplate that powerful metaphor from the Bible, I realize it’s not really figurative at all. I am the blind man waiting for sight to be revealed. I want my eyes to be open, to see as God sees and know the Truth for all beings on this planet. So, I open my heart, my mind, and my eyes with all due humility. I recognize my conditioned blindness in different arenas of my life.
I know that in the past, I literally could not see systemic racism and white privilege that was in every aspect of my lived experience, but now I see what has been there all along. When our information expands, our actions follow, so now I treat and move my feet as I consciously work for race equity. I keep my eyes open to this reality so it can be transformed.
I literally could not see that all that was holding me back in my relationships was my limited perception of other people. Every time I judged someone as “less than,” I realize that I could not see the whole picture. What I was really tethered to was not other people’s limited capacity but rather my limited capacity to see the Truth of that person and the relationship. My eyes have been opened and our relationships are transformed.
I embrace this movement from blindness to sight, releasing any conditioning or limiting perceptions that cut me off from experiencing the best and highest good this life has to offer. I courageously step forward, into the genuine transformation that clear sight makes possible. Once I have seen something, I cannot–not have seen it. I own this expansion of my sight, which expands my capacity to do good in this world. Even if I don’t like what I’m seeing, I honor the truth of our lived experiences and the power we have to create anew in every moment. I will not turn a blind eye anymore. And when I feel bound or limited, I will remember to open my vision to transformative power that is always present. Amen.