Prior to the advent of color television in the 1950s, all programing was broadcasted in black & white. The “In Living Color” phrase, along with their multi-colored peacock logo, was first used by NBC when it aired its first color tv show in 1953.

Of all the things we take for granted, have you ever thought that color is one of them?

Color blindness affects about 8% of men and .5% of women worldwide. There are three categories of color blindness. The most common one is red-green deficiency, which has four types. Blue-yellow deficiency is less common and has 2. Complete color deficiency is rare.

I can only imagine how dull the world looks through the eyes of those who suffer from color blindness. However, I think I have an idea of how they feel when they see true colors for the very first time, especially in nature! I came across some heart-tugging videos that capture such moments and I must confess that I still tear up while watching them. Some of you may need to grab a tissue as well.

Those of us who have always seen the world in “living” color, will never get to appreciate it as much as those who get to see it after living in a colorless world. The same holds true for most of the other things we take for granted.

Most of us need to learn to STOP as soon as we step outside our homes, take a deep breath, and contemplate the natural world for a couple of minutes. Then somewhere in between the gazing and breathing, we ought to lift up a prayer of thanksgiving to Him who, by His grace, allows us to open our eyes to see another day. Among the many things we need to be grateful for, our sight should be one of them.

Imagine living most of your life in a colorless world and all of a sudden being able to see it in full spectrum. Not to mention being totally blind and given the gift of sight! Indubitably, your brain/emotions would be greatly overwhelmed. Jaw-dropping awe would be followed by unexplainable joy, which would most likely usher uncontainable tears of gratitude.

Perhaps you may never know what it is truly like to see light and/or color for the very first time after living in blindness, but you can have a similar experience when you step out of the darkness (sin) of this world, or colorless life of religiosity, and into the glorious light of God’s salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus referred to in John 3:3 as being “born again” of the Spirit.

Spiritual new birth is a regeneration of the human soul by the Holy Spirit of God. It is like starting to live all over again. This time, with a clear purpose, a bright eternal future, and the realization that self-worth can not be found in anything in this life, but in the Creator of life itself. Such an experience is like climbing to the surface and seeing the light of day after living most of one’s life in a cold and dark cave. It is like being caught up in a rainbow and slowly traveling through it from one end to the other.

And yet, NOTHING we could ever witness in this world (or universe for that matter), can EVER compare to what awaits those who have received the promise of eternal life.

Without a doubt, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Everything they focus on affects us in one way or another. That is why we need to be careful what we set our eyes upon. It would behoove us to also take good care of them by eating healthy, protecting them while in the sun, and taking several breaks from the screen during the day.

Let us pray that we learn to truly appreciate the gift of sight by praising God for all the beauty He has created, including our family and friends. But above all…

Remember, anything can cause our eyes to fail us all of a sudden; An accident, a health issue, or just plain old age. So, let us take time to enjoy and appreciate everything that they can capture “in living color!”

REFERENCES
1 “In Living Color”

2 Type of Color Blindness