With Fresh Eyes: 60 Insights into the Miraculously Ordinary from a Woman Born Blind

by Karen Wingate

Overview

What miracles do we miss when we close our eyes to the wonder of everyday moments?
2022 ECPA Christian Book Awardwinner: Devotion & Gift
2022 Selah Awards: first place in Devotionals

In this busy, jaded world of ours, we often take for granted what we see every day. We may set aside time to spend with God in a quiet room, but we struggle to see his hand in a traffic jam or while walking the dog. But for Karen Wingate, sight itself is something extraordinary, and what our eyes can reveal is even more astounding.

Karen lived most of her life with severely limited sight due to a cluster of disorders stemming from a genetic defect. But through the chance outcome of a surgery, she regained sight in one eye that doubled her visual acuity—and allowed her to see things she had never seen before. And as she discovered a more detailed world for the first time, she also began to see God in every new discovery—from the prosaic numbers of a bathroom scale to the glory of sunsets.

With Fresh Eyes invites readers not only to celebrate the gift of their own sight but to reawaken to the wonder of what they observe in creation—great and small—and how God is working in everyday moments. In each of her sixty meditations, Karen's humor and whimsy draw a connection between physical sight and spiritual understanding that will leave readers with a renewed joy and delight in what is good and beautiful, and will reassure them that God still works in the lives of his people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780825446818
Publisher:	Kregel Publications
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	418,186
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Karen Wingate is an author, speaker, and Bible study leader. Besides her work in curriculum and devotionals, she has also been a contributor to Divine Interventions, All God’s Creatures, and Life-Changing Miracles. For most of her life, Karen was legally blind, until a surgery in 2016 restored her visual acuity. She and her husband live in Tucson, Arizona. Visit Karen at karenwingate.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Part 1 Those Walking in Darkness…

1 Bed Covers 19

2 Brown Curtain 23

3 Mammogram 27

4 Prayer Circle 31

5 Green Lights 35

6 Daydreams 39

7 The Floor 43

8 Potato Salad 47

9 God Glimpses 50

Part 2 … Have Seen a Great Light

10 Bathroom Scales 55

11 Dirt 59

12 Color 62

13 Clocks 65

14 Fireworks and Smoke 69

15 Window View 73

16 King Tut 77

17 Nothing 81

18 Hummingbird Wings 85

Part 3 Seeing What God Wants Me to See

19 Stars 91

20 Sunrise 95

21 Flowers 99

22 Clouds 102

23 Autumn Leaves 106

24 Holly Berries 110

25 Ocean Waves 113

26 Geese 118

27 Snow 122

28 Blood Moon 126

Part 4 Seeing Who God Wants Me to See

29 Faces 133

30 Friends 137

31 Shopping Carts 141

32 Family Doctor 144

33 Driver's License 148

34 Driver's Seat 152

35 Walmart Signs 155

36 Shuttle Driver 159

37 Tom and Shirley 163

38 Transformed People 167

39 McDonald's Clerk 171

40 Smiles 175

41 The Food Server 178

Part 5 The Good, the Ugly, and the Ordinary

42 Noseprints 185

43 Emergency Signs 189

44 More Snow 193

45 Wall Smudges 197

46 Bugs 201

47 Squirrels 205

48 Carpet 209

49 PowerPoint Slides 213

50 Sewing Machines 218

51 The Past 222

Part 6 Seeing Beyond the Seen

52 Fast-Food Signs 227

53 Beyond Myself 231

54 Tears 235

55 Communion Cups 240

56 Westview Abbey 244

57 The Lord 249

58 Heaven's Threshold 253

59 Not Enough 256

60 Enough 260

My Prayer for You 265

Acknowledgments 267

Editorial Reviews

09/06/2021

Ministry leader Wingate shares in her engrossing debut lessons learned after suddenly regaining her sense of vision. Born legally blind, Wingate underwent surgeries in her youth during the 1960s that gave her limited eyesight. When a doctor discovered a tear in Wingate’s retina decades after the original surgeries, she had another procedure yet was skeptical of the doctor’s promise of better-than-ever eyesight. But two weeks later, she was able to read the numbers on her scale and to see the texture of dirt, the smoke of fireworks, and other mundane details that, to her, were thrilling. In 60 brief chapters, Wingate shares the small and joyful experiences of her new eyesight and offers short homilies on topics such as gratitude or trusting God: “Choosing to trust God for his protection is a mindset, an intentional decision made before danger happens.” Her chronicles of minor moments (watching clouds pass or squirrels play, and reading song lyrics for the first time) pave the way for her preaching of God’s power to provide one with wholeness. This is a promising work for Christians looking for vibrant personal devotions or material for sermons.(Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Rather than focusing on her miraculous recovery of sight, Wingate invites her readers to see God's miracles all around them. It is, indeed, an eye-opening book!"

James N. Watkins

"In this thoughtful and beautifully written book, Karen Wingate provides a refreshing perspective on life challenges, renewed vision, and God’s faithfulness."

Candy Arrington

"As I read With Fresh Eyes, I felt like I was the one seeing for the first time. Karen Wingate’s vivid descriptions, poignant insights, and overwhelming awe of God’s goodness opened my eyes to the evidence of God’s presence all around me. She dusts the world for God’s fingerprints and finds them everywhere. Then she invites us to marvel with her as we see our world anew."

Lori Hatcher

"With Fresh Eyes is a true spiritual treasure. Writing from a deep faith and a transparency forged in the fire of trials, Karen Wingate opens our eyes to the many wonders of the life of faith: patience, hope, trust, contentment, and gratitude, to name a few. Her personal stories and practical application will challenge you to see God and his work from a new perspective."

Shawn McMullen

"Karen Wingate’s warm, personal messages are deeply relatable yet challenged me to look at things in a different way. I’m grateful for that. Gazing at life through fresh eyes, I was amazed at her perspective and revelations."

Cecil Murphey