The term “color-blind” is somewhat misleading, implying that people with this condition can view the world only in black and white. In actuality, most color-blind individuals can make out hues of yellow and blue. Only a small percentage of people are blind to all colors and can see only in shades of white, gray, and black—somewhat like seeing the world as a black-and- white photograph.

Color-blindness might seem debilitating in many ways, but an eye’s ability to compensate is extraordinary. For example, color-blind people tend to have exceptional night vision. They’re also more sensitive to contour and outline. During World War II, some color-blind soldiers were deployed in spy planes to spot camouflaged enemy camps that were invisible to people with normal sight. Scripture says that our visual capacities influence the way we perceive God. Let’s take a look at some optical causes and effects:

Eclipsed Vision = Despair. “I am worn out waiting for Your rescue, but I have put my hope in Your Word. My eyes are straining to see Your promises come true. When will You comfort me?” (Psalm 119:81-82).

Limited Vision = Incomplete Understanding. ”Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Cor. 13:12). Discerning

Vision = Knowing God. “Through everything God made, [people] can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20).

Impaired earthly vision yields opportunities for you to trust and love God “though you have never seen Him” (1 Peter 1:8).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 1:1-30