This morning's PAYG centred on the healing of Bartimaeus, a blind man who asked Jesus to restore his sight.  So he was man whose sight had failed, not a man born blind; he knew what he had lost and he wanted it back.  One of the things the listener was invited to do was to reflect on areas of spiritual blindness they would like Jesus to heal, and it struck me that you could actually only ask for restoration of 'spiritual sight' you had once had and now lost, or the gift of 'spiritual sight' you had become aware of in others... you had to know your blindness in order to ask for it to be removed.  This brought to kind mind the once very popular (maybe it still is) Johari Window:

There may be aspects of my spiritual sight (or health) that are I am aware of and others I am not aware of; likewise areas of spiritual blindness.  There are some that others are aware of and others they aren't aware of.  So long as I or others are aware of them, then work to 'open the eyes of the heart (or mind)' is possible.  But there is the unknown unknown - the spiritual blindness (or sight) of which I am unaware and so are others... only God is aware of it.  Prayer then becomes 'please give me the sight I don't know I lack'... but how will I know whether or when I have it?  It's a conundrum!!  But it does seem like the crucial prayer.

God who sees what none can see,

Who knows what non can know

Give me sight, where I do not know I am blind

Wisdom, where I do not know I am unwise

Love, where I do not know my emptiness

Open the Johari Window of my soul

To receive your life-giving light

Amen