The Boy Born Blind
Children's Story
This is a story about a boy who was born blind. He grew up resenting his parents beacuse they had been so hard on him during his childhood, but after an encounter with Jesus began to "see" - began to realise the gift his parents had given him.
When Nigel was just a baby, the doctors discovered he couldn't see. They'd dangled some brightly coloured toy in front of his face and moved it from side to side, but Nigel hadn't responded. He'd just lain there staring straight ahead of him.
To start with, it hadn't mattered much to Nigel. When he was a little boy, he'd assumed everybody was like him, living in a world of total blackness. But as he grew older, so he began to realise he was different. People talked about trees and flowers and the sky and the sea, but Nigel had no idea what they meant. Gradually, he began to build some pictures inside his mind to cover all these different things people spoke about. And when he was five and started school, he began to learn to read Braille. That was much better, because he found he could immerse himself in stories and live in a different world.
Nigel's parents weren't very nice to him. They made him do all sorts of very difficult things, by himself. They made him learn to tie his own shoelaces, and his mother refused to tie his shoelaces for him. It was agonising for Nigel. It took hours and hours and hours of trying before he managed to tie those laces. And it wasn't only shoelaces. Nigel's parents made him do by himself everything his younger, sighted brother could do.
One day, when Nigel was outside playing football with his brother and a few friends, he got really hurt. The other boys had made him goalie, and then they'd amused themselves kicking the football straight at Nigel as hard as they could. Since he could never see it coming, Nigel could never take evasive action. Again and again and again the football hit him straight in the chest, or on the face, or on his knees, or on some other part of his body. In the end, he ran home crying. His mum cuddled him, but then she sent him straight out again. Nigel never enjoyed football after that.
Sometimes other children were unkind to Nigel. Sometimes they teased him unmercifully, and Nigel could never see where they were, to stop them. Once he got into a fight with a boy who called him names, but when he managed to land a punch on the boy's nose and make it bleed, it was Nigel who got into trouble.
Nigel grew up not much liking other people. He wasn't even particularly fond of his own family. But he had learnt to be strong and tough, and he didn't much care what other people thought of him.
One day he heard about Jesus, who had healed a blind man. The man was just like Nigel, he too had been born blind. Jesus had made a paste out of mud and smeared it over the man's eyes, and after that the man had been able to see. Nigel prayed that Jesus might do the same for him, that he too might receive his sight.
Nothing much happened, but Nigel began to find out all he could about Jesus. And the more he learned, the more Nigel got to know Jesus and through him, got to know God. For the first time in his life, Nigel felt really happy. And the happier he felt, the more at ease he felt with other people. He even began to love his family, and all once he realised all that his parents had done for him during his childhood. To his surprise, he found himself thanking God that his parents had made him so tough and independent, for now he was grown up his blindness was hardly a handicap at all.
Not long after that, he heard of a new operation which might bring sight to his blind eyes. He prayed hard just before the operation, and he knew his family and his friends were praying for him too. When he woke up and the bandages were removed from his eyes, he saw vague shapes for the first time in his life. Two or three weeks later, he could see quite clearly when he wore special glasses. The trees and the flowers and the sky and the sea weren't a bit as he had imagined them, they were even more beautiful.
Nigel knelt down and thanked Jesus that he still healed blind people. And Nigel knew he wanted to follow Jesus for the rest of his life.
When Nigel was just a baby, the doctors discovered he couldn't see. They'd dangled some brightly coloured toy in front of his face and moved it from side to side, but Nigel hadn't responded. He'd just lain there staring straight ahead of him.
To start with, it hadn't mattered much to Nigel. When he was a little boy, he'd assumed everybody was like him, living in a world of total blackness. But as he grew older, so he began to realise he was different. People talked about trees and flowers and the sky and the sea, but Nigel had no idea what they meant. Gradually, he began to build some pictures inside his mind to cover all these different things people spoke about. And when he was five and started school, he began to learn to read Braille. That was much better, because he found he could immerse himself in stories and live in a different world.
Nigel's parents weren't very nice to him. They made him do all sorts of very difficult things, by himself. They made him learn to tie his own shoelaces, and his mother refused to tie his shoelaces for him. It was agonising for Nigel. It took hours and hours and hours of trying before he managed to tie those laces. And it wasn't only shoelaces. Nigel's parents made him do by himself everything his younger, sighted brother could do.
One day, when Nigel was outside playing football with his brother and a few friends, he got really hurt. The other boys had made him goalie, and then they'd amused themselves kicking the football straight at Nigel as hard as they could. Since he could never see it coming, Nigel could never take evasive action. Again and again and again the football hit him straight in the chest, or on the face, or on his knees, or on some other part of his body. In the end, he ran home crying. His mum cuddled him, but then she sent him straight out again. Nigel never enjoyed football after that.
Sometimes other children were unkind to Nigel. Sometimes they teased him unmercifully, and Nigel could never see where they were, to stop them. Once he got into a fight with a boy who called him names, but when he managed to land a punch on the boy's nose and make it bleed, it was Nigel who got into trouble.
Nigel grew up not much liking other people. He wasn't even particularly fond of his own family. But he had learnt to be strong and tough, and he didn't much care what other people thought of him.
One day he heard about Jesus, who had healed a blind man. The man was just like Nigel, he too had been born blind. Jesus had made a paste out of mud and smeared it over the man's eyes, and after that the man had been able to see. Nigel prayed that Jesus might do the same for him, that he too might receive his sight.
Nothing much happened, but Nigel began to find out all he could about Jesus. And the more he learned, the more Nigel got to know Jesus and through him, got to know God. For the first time in his life, Nigel felt really happy. And the happier he felt, the more at ease he felt with other people. He even began to love his family, and all once he realised all that his parents had done for him during his childhood. To his surprise, he found himself thanking God that his parents had made him so tough and independent, for now he was grown up his blindness was hardly a handicap at all.
Not long after that, he heard of a new operation which might bring sight to his blind eyes. He prayed hard just before the operation, and he knew his family and his friends were praying for him too. When he woke up and the bandages were removed from his eyes, he saw vague shapes for the first time in his life. Two or three weeks later, he could see quite clearly when he wore special glasses. The trees and the flowers and the sky and the sea weren't a bit as he had imagined them, they were even more beautiful.
Nigel knelt down and thanked Jesus that he still healed blind people. And Nigel knew he wanted to follow Jesus for the rest of his life.
