” No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (I Corinthians 2:9-10a).

“Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten—a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me…. The living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, set it free!”

This exclamation was made by Helen Keller. It refers to the time the efforts of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, succeeded in reaching through the blindness and deafness that had kept Helen in dark unknowing for six years of her young life. Anne’s efforts had ushered Helen into the dawning wisdom she describes.

When you first read that quote, did you think you were reading someone’s testimony of encountering God? I hope so! Because Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan’s story can serve as a physical representation of a spiritual process. What does it mean to allow the Spirit to lead us into wisdom?

Helen later described her young years of living without awareness of the world around her as living “at sea in a dense fog.” 

She had no means of changing her situation by herself.  Even when Anne arrived, Helen could not relate to the idea of a teacher, to being taught, or to the possibility there was even anything out there to learn.

Then one day Helen made the connection between the finger motions that spelled out w-a-t-e-r Anne was making in one of her hands with the water that was flowing over her other hand. 

Beginning with that pivotal revelation, the sunshine of wisdom gradually began to dispel the fog of unknowing in Helen Keller’s life. Now before her were endless mysteries to explore!

It is significant that Helen’s blindness and deafness hadn’t changed. But they were no longer a barrier to her figuratively “seeing the light” and “hearing the sound.”

The Spirit by whom God reveals wisdom comes to us to clear our fog of spiritual unknowing and let in His sunshine of spiritual wisdom. When we come to the table, willing to be influenced even though we have no idea what that will look like, the Spirit works with us just as Anne Sullivan worked with Helen Keller. 

Whatever barriers we have—doubts, fears, rebellion, relationships—are in the category of Helen’s blindness and deafness. The loving influence of the Spirit can circumvent them all—and do so as often as required. 

Father, please help us learn from Helen Keller (representing us) and Anne Sullivan (representing the Holy Spirit) how to humbly show up and trust You to get us out of the fog of unknowing into the sunshine of Holy Spirit wisdom. Thank You that the barriers we have let keep us in the fog are not barriers to Your Spirit. May we progressively look to You to be our Supreme Influencer.