In Acts 9, Saul is on a mission…to destroy the people of The Way. His faith was constricted to a tiny view of God and others—if they aren’t like me, then they must be against me. In essence, if he was good and faithful to his faith, then anyone else beyond that must be evil. Acts 9:1-2 states,

Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

It is clear the intention behind the order. He is searching for those whom he could bring to Jerusalem, so they could either denounce the Way or face the fate of Stephen. He is self-righteous in his contempt of these ones and will go to the greatest lengths to stop it, until…

God has a funny way of showing up unannounced. Along the way, he is blinded and hears a voice speak as sweet as honey,

Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Saul was chasing disciples and the voice is stating that it is he who is being persecuted. Jesus never said walking the Way would be easy. Instead, he stated it clearly in the Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”

So Saul asks “Who are you?” And the voice replies, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.

And here is the flex point—He gets up, walks into the city, and instead of persecuting the people, he seeks the help of the people, namely in the person of Ananias. Could Saul have said no? Some will say he had no choice, but he did. He could have walked away blind not only in sight, but in spirit. Instead, he flexed and opened his stance towards God, to allow more light to shine in. Might God be inviting you to allow more light to shine in your life?