UN-BLIND is when the blind see and BLIND-LESS is when those with unrestricted eyesight are blind. This is a work of fiction, based on the New Testament story of Bartimaeus’ healing with reference to Hagar, the Egyptian slave woman from the Old Testament.

Baru awakes before dawn and, although he will not be able to see the impending sunrise, he knows that it is coming. He has been blind since birth, but his internal clock and circadian rhythms are impressively well aligned with the external diurnal cycle. Baru moves in stealth mode as to not disturb those sleeping around him. Though they appear as a band of human outcasts relegated to the wilderness, they share no togetherness. Survival is a solo sport. He cannot see their poorly constructed makeshift shelter between the rocks on the outskirts of the city, but he knows that it could never withstand a storm and storm season was around the corner. He cannot see the faces of any of his fellow shelter dwellers, but he knows that in their hearts they submit to the law of EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF. Baru gathers his cloak from the floor where it served as his night time blanket and he wraps it around his shoulders. Then he sets off, walking stick in hand with no plans to ever return. Never ever!

TODAY IS THE DAY. EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE TODAY!

“Where is my little BeanieBaby?” The old woman’s call is playful at first. “BeanieBaby, where are you?… BeanieBaby?!” Playfulness quickly turns into growing concern and the expression on her face turns from a carefree smile to a worried frown. Her little BeanieBaby never misses story time with his beloved Savta (Hebrew for grandmother). He is the firstborn of her only daughter and she assigned his endearing pet name, BeanieBaby, to him upon seeing him for the first time after his birth. While his parents were trying to come to terms with the shock of their newborn’s irregular overall appearance and oddly shaped eyes, Savta’s love for this little boy was instantaneous. He occupies a special place in her heart and her lap is reserved for him during story time. He has never been late for story time, he is always the first to show up, but right now it is story time and he is not here.

Savta wraps up story time even before it begins and she, promptly, sends all of her other grandchildren home. She has to find her BeanieBaby. She dotes on him and she has had the privilege of being an integral part of his life for all of the 11 amazing years since his birth. He brings her so much joy and delight, but with every one of his birthdays, her worry about his future intensifies within her. She will not be around forever, and she spends multiple times per day in prayer to Adonai about this matter. She has to trust Him. They have shared so many precious experiences and she will be by his side for as long as it pleases Adonai.

She still so vividly remembers the very first time when she told the story of Helga, the Egyptian slave woman who worked for the kingpin patriarch of their people generations before. BeanieBaby refused to go home afterwards, he wanted to know more. He was utterly captivated by the story, and within a short period of time, he started to express remarkable insight into concepts of great depth in their faith. Her little blind BeanieBaby SAW something about Adonai that almost all of them with perfect eyesight were completely blind to. Adonai is El Roi and He SEES and LOVES people from ALL nations.

“Savta, why don’t Abba & Ima love me and why don’t they SEE me?” The old woman tightens her loving embrace around the distraught little boy. With her right hand, she guides his head to position his ear on the left side of her chest where he would be able to hear her heartbeat. She keeps her hand protectively on his head while patiently waiting for him to find consolation in her heartbeat and allow it to calm him down. She, too, finds solace in this embrace and it soothes her own troubled soul somewhat. The heartbreaking truth is that BeanieBaby is not wrong, his parents have just never really been able to come to terms with his condition. At birth, they labelled him as disabled and he has been a burden to them ever since. They completely missed how he outgrew his odd birth shape long before his first birthday, how he met all of his developmental milestones and how the only thing he could not do, was see. It still chips away at Savta’s tender heart everytime they are unable to appreciate his amazing uniqueness and his impressive achievements, despite his blindness. They are the blind ones. MY SWEET, AMAZING BOY, REMEMBER HELGA’S STORY. EL ROI SEES YOU AND HE LOVES YOU!

Baru had not been Savta’s beloved BeanieBaby for many years now, but he will never forget her and their times together. On that fateful story-less day, Savta relentlessly searched for him and she simply refused to quit. Her tenacity paid off, she found him, but the physical exertion took its toll on her frail body and she never regained consciousness after collapsing at the scene. A few years later, upon the death of his parents, Baru succumbed to begging as only means of survival and he became known as the blind beggar of Jericho. Today looks like just a regular day of business as usual, but it most certainly is not. That which is about to happen has been a long time in the making. First, Baru overheard rumours about a man from Nazareth who preaches to large crowds, performs miracles and heals people of all kinds of maladies. One day, a cheerful passerby stopped right by him and dropped a heavy purse with coins into his lap. She told him that the man from Nazareth truly is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He has healed her paralysed son. Baru became obsessed with desperation to meet Him, to the point where he would shout ahead everytime he heard people approaching. JESUS, SON OF DAVID, IS THAT YOU? It seemed to only annoy the travellers and instead of him receiving money and/or food from them, some people sneered at him and others even cursed him. However, since that first time Mary of Bethany stopped by to talk to him about Jesus, she has been faithfully providing him with fresh fruit and nuts on a biweekly basis. Then, yesterday upon delivering his fruit and nuts, he detected an increase in the intensity of her delightful excitement about Jesus. She was so excited to share the news he has been waiting on for a very long time. JESUS IS COMING HERE!

I SEE YOU, BARU, COME OVER HERE!

Baru jumped up, yanked the tattered cloak off his body and dropped it on the ground. He then proceeded to run in the direction of where the sound of the most beautiful voice he has ever heard, came from. This is it!

DEAR BARU, THE ONE WHOM MY FATHER EL ROI SEES, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?

“Lord, please let me see?” For the very first time in Baru’s life, his tears welled up in and poured from eyes which could SEE. “Lord, I want to follow You for the rest of my life, I never want to leave Your side!”

THEN COME WITH ME, BARU, OUR FIRST STOP IS THE SHELTER WHICH YOU VOWED TO NEVER GO BACK TO AGAIN. EL ROI SEES YOUR FELLOW SHELTER DWELLERS TOO!