In just two short days, the world went almost completely dark. With absolutely no warning or even to this day, no known cause or prognosis, my eyesight went from relatively normal and functional to nearly non-existent and certainly unusable for most tasks.

As life so often does, it just kept going. I still had bills to pay, work to tend to, and a college class that I had just enrolled in and desperately still wanted to attend. Even before losing my sight, I had heard that the way a blind person learns what somebody looks like is by feeling their face inch by inch with their hands. Maybe it’s because of the sight I still possess but I have been on this journey for 7 years now and cannot imagine running my hands over another person’s face.

I did; however, need to develop ways to identify those approaching me or speaking to me. Since the early days of blindness, I have honed this skill even further and, spoiler alert, can now identify those close to me by the most unbelievable traits such as the sound of their chewing, throat clearing, or their scent. Furthermore, because of my visual impairment, I pick up on things most sighted people would never think twice about. For instance, a friend that is a janitor may have a large keyring with many keys dangling from their belt and walk with heavy boots whereas somebody who is athletic and fit may only have a few keys jingling on their ring, will likely be wearing lightweight shoes or sandals and will generally have a much different cadence in their walk.

A close second to the sound of somebody’s voice, for me personally, is the shape of their silhouette and the way they carry themselves when they walk. I have friends that are military veterans and police officers and it probably goes without saying that their walk and body type is much different than that of my stereotypical I.T. guy or gamer friends.

Put yourself in my shoes. Every day of your life you have to basically decode who those around you are, even your closest family in many situations can be a mystery. You must use every bit of information available including where you are and what people would be in that setting.

Now, think about it in a spiritual sense; or even just a moral sense. If Jesus were here on earth or if it was just a complete stranger passing by as you were speaking to your friends or family, what would they think? Furthermore, how would Jesus, or others, see you when you are not saying a word? Lastly and conversely, if Jesus walked up to you in the flesh, would you know it was him? Do you know the sound of his voice? Do you know him well enough to see his silhouette and be able to say, “JESUS!”

My young daughter has an imagination that is growing just as fast as she is and will occasionally tell me to pretend to be Jesus. All I can tell her is that I am trying and hope and pray to look and sound more like Him every day.