Faith Isn’t Blind.

You know the show Love is Blind?

I know, you’re probably thinking – ‘isn’t this a devotional’?

Yes, it is, but hear me out.

Love is Blind (LIB) is a reality TV show, created by Netflix. Each season set in a different city, the series promotes itself as a social experiment. They gather single men and women who say they desire love and marriage.

It sounds simple enough, but there is a twist—they must fall in love and get engaged, all before meeting in person.

So, the first episodes show them in these ‘pods,’ where they meet up with potential matches for dates, sight unseen. The crazy thing is that people get engaged and leave the pods.

Participants say it feels like they really know a person, or it’s as if they have known them their whole life, because they’re spending so many hours just talking and going on dates daily.

However, the reality is that the “pods” only last for 10 days, and some couples extend a marriage proposal before those 10 days are up. Only if and when that proposal is accepted do they finally meet face-to-face.

What stands out to me are the kinds of things we hear participants mention in their confessional time. They say things like “I can see how she could fit into my life” or “I can see him working with me.”

WAIT – is that what love is about? Shaping a person into fitting into our lives?

To me, it’s all like watching a dumpster fire. It just goes very… interestingly! My favorite pastime while watching the show is yelling “that’s not a reason to get married!” at different moments, unbeknownst to my tv and anyone overhearing.

Our LIB favorites, like Lauren and Cameron, may have made it and stayed married since, but so many others did not. Their stories ended in heartbreak, and maybe even deception and betrayal. It seems like when they see the true cost and sacrifice of love, they walk away. 

It’s kind of the nature of how we see marriage and love in our modern context: “I’m with you… until I’m not.”

Just like the crowd who once followed Jesus for the benefits—the miracles, signs, and wonders that caused them to pursue Him. But when they saw the true cost of following Him, it led to them betraying Him and calling for His death.

I think far too many of us believe that “love is blind,” especially regarding a relationship with God. Or we believe, “I can see how God could fit into my life,” or “I see God working with me or benefitting me.”

Faith in Jesus? Following Him? Being with Him?

According to the bible, it isn’t blind, and He’s not just trying to be another person we try to fit into our lives or whose benefits we try to make work for us and what we want.

In Hebrews, it reads:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

Just take a look at the book of Hebrews, and you will find many reasons and compelling evidence as to why we should accept the new covenant—relationship with God—provided by Jesus Christ.

Faith in Jesus is imagining a healed world that is to come based on truth and historical fact.

All godly faith takes is belief and trust. It’s based on knowing God—relying on Him in what we don’t know or can’t seem to understand on our own.

Unlike a random person sitting behind a wall in a pod, we can fully know God, and He is trustworthy and makes good on His Word. This is our assurance. Our faith depends on what we know to be true about God—what we have seen of Him in our own lives, the lives of those around us, and those we see in scripture.

Faith isn’t blind. And love isn’t really blind, either.

It’s a conscious choice to stick things out and see things through, even when it gets hard. Unlike some of the cast of LIB, we don’t just try to fit Jesus into our lives—He asks to be our whole lives.

Because He loved us first, we can freely love Him and others and give our entire lives to Him. He’s trustworthy. He knows all our flaws, inside and out, and still chooses us now and chose us on the cross.

What will you choose?

Practical Next Steps

Read: Hebrews 11; John 6:1-3, 5, 8-12, 14-15, 66-69; Matthew 27:20-23

Journal: Reflect on God’s love for you either by jotting down a few related scriptures or making a list of ways His love has been made known to you today.

Reflection Steps

Reflect on these questions:

How has God made His love known to you?

What do you see as the cost of following Jesus?

What do you think outweighs the cost?

In what ways or specific areas can you put your faith and trust in God?

Let’s Pray Together

Lord, thank You for the cross that displayed your love for me. Help me to trust You more. Help me to have faith in You, even when things get hard. I want to follow You wholeheartedly, knowing that Your plans for me are good. Strengthen my heart when doubt creeps in, and remind me that Your grace is sufficient for every trial. Fill me with Your peace, and help me to walk in the confidence of Your unfailing love. May my life be a reflection of Your goodness and a witness to Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.