"I opened up two gifts this morning. . . ."

...they were my eyes. Though I don't have sight in one of them, I do have a vision. There's a difference between the two. My vision of gratitude helps to enhance my physical sight, so that I am able to approach my day in faith and not in fear.

Without vision, there is no hope. And without faith, there is no foundation that we can stand on in times of trial and triumph. I would not want to receive physical sight in both of my eyes if it meant losing my heart of gratitude for God's goodness and my dependence on Him in my weakness.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

My faith challenges me every day to make the choice of accepting instead of rejecting what is given to me. I have never stopped praying to be healed of my physical blindess, but I did stop allowing it to dictate my happiness. The fact that I never received the miracle I wanted does not remove me from the responsibility of becoming a miracle for others.

Our reason for hope should not always be to see the fulfillment of our personal desires. Instead, it should be our ability to stay expectant of an outcome that brings us to a new level of breakthrough that is beyond explanation. Regardless of your position in you personal and professional life, hope needs to be at the forefront because it enables you to be open to creative solutions to seemingly impossible situations.