A Brand New, Beautiful World...by Janet Perez Eckles

The ophthalmologist shined a bright light into my eyes. "She did inherit it,"  he said to my parents and me. "You need to be prepared. There is no cure."

He leaned back on his chair and reassured us that I would not see any negative effect until the age of sixty. But the doctor was wrong.

At the very same time I turned thirty and my father, fifty-five, the retinal disease began to rob both of us of our peripheral vision. In a matter of eighteen months, our vision closed in completely, leaving us in darkness with no trace of shadows or color...only a dark gray nothing.

My world crumbled as that black curtain fell. The dreams my husband and I had for us and our 3, 5, and 7-year-old sons were destroyed.

But when I turned to my Heavenly Father for hope and strength, He responded by opening my eyes to a new revelation. My earthly father had given me not just the hardship brought by a defective gene, but the example of determination and tenacity to overcome it.

Only a couple of decades prior, we were all living in Bolivia, our native land. At that time, my father defied the family's opposition to move to America. Instead, he and mom worked tirelessly to satisfy the requirements imposed by the U.S. Immigration Department to enter the country and establish residency.

Once in the States, he overcame humiliation, intense loneliness, helplessness, and uncertainty. He endured ridicule because of his lack of fluency in English, but he pressed on. And he managed to gather enough money for the basics---renting a small apartment, buying modest furniture from thrift stores, and putting a down payment on a car. Nine months later, he sent airline tickets for my mom, my brother, and me to join him.

Now years later, living in physical darkness, I look back at what he'd shown me. He taught me the determination to move forward when facing adversity. He set an example, proving that humility is crucial to success. He demonstrated commitment to God and family and the importance of setting priorities.

Just as a baby taking its first steps holds tight to its father's hand, my dad held onto God as he stepped from the comfort of our hometown in Bolivia to the unknown in a foreign land. I did the same as I stepped into the unfamiliarity of a sightless world. Holding onto God's hand, I gained confidence and learned the language of appreciation.

Gratitude is what my heart sees. Thankfulness for God's promise that in the dark land of discouragement, in a place unfamiliar and on a path unknown, His Word shall always be a lamp for my steps, and a light for my path. (see Psalm 119:105).

With that light shining the way, I have seen fear fade away...joy ignite...and peace enter in. Today a passion to serve Him allows me to see the beauty of a new world.