MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
by Erwin Bourne—March 15, 2002
Photos that missionaries take, display and often print
show what they want you to see, but there is more than
meets the eye. I do not like to photograph the sordid
side of missionary work. The river scenes and the
rustic native communities make a tremendous appeal to
those who live on the brighter side of life, but I
have to crop off the disgusting and the distasteful
aspects of the picture. Suffering, sin and shame are
hidden there.
On the other side, Faith sees what eyes cannot. Your
eyes see your faults; faith sees your Savior. Your
eyes see the guilt; faith sees the blood. Your eyes
see a sinner; faith sees a prodigal redeemed. (Read
Hebrews 11:1)
Faith means being sure of the things we hope for
And knowing that something is real even if we do not
see it
When I first began walking on wrist crutches after my
second below-knee amputation, my therapist had me
outdoors walking on some rather rough terrain. He
instructed me, “Don’t look down at your feet. Look
five or ten steps ahead, recording the rough uneven
places in your mind.” Could this be an earthly
example of walking by faith? So we don’t look at the
troubles we can see right now; rather we look forward
to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see
will soon be over, but the joys to come will last
forever! (II Cor. 5:18 NLT).
An old school friend of mine e-mailed me a month ago:
“Daddy has had a good day and he is resting calmly at
present…But within the last half hour he has, with his
eyes tightly closed and his arms stretched out and
reaching upward, been saying, “Amen, Amen, Glory to
God,” etc. At one point…I said, “Daddy, we don’t see
anything, but we can tell you are seeing things that
we can’t see…. What are you seeing?” He responded:
“I SEE EVERYTHING! Glory to God!” Latest report:
11.10pm - Tuesday - February 19, 2002 DADDY IS GONE.
He and Mother are having a reunion! And I'm certain
that he has already seen his Precious Jesus.
—Erwin and Jean Bourne