Not many of us think much of it on a daily basis. We wake up every morning to a blue sky, green grass, brown coffee, yellow eggs and rich color all around us.
But for William Reed, the world looks a bit different.
Every day for his 66 years of life, the body builder has seen only black and white.
Imagine that for a second: sunsets in black and white. The Rocky Mountains, black and white. Flowers, weddings, oceans, fields, hair, television, even his clothing; all in black and white.
On September 12, 2017, all of that changed. In honor of his birthday, William’s family pooled their money and bought him a pair of Enchroma glasses.
The California-based optical specialist determines what “type” of color blindness a person has, and develops a revolutionary product that will hopefully allow that person to see vivid colors.
Enchroma
Enchroma glasses don’t work for everybody. In fact, the company warns that only 50 percent of their consumers will see results (but they have a no-hassle, 60-day, money-back guarantee).
After singing “Happy Birthday” and taking some pictures of their favorite 66-year-old, William’s family gifted him with the glasses.
His reaction is absolutely priceless!
Here’s this big, burly guy, totally choked up and at a loss for words. His excitement is literally radiating from his body, and it’s completely and utterly contagious. Nearly 155 million people have been mesmerized by William’s heart-melting reaction since it was shared on Facebook.
Enchroma is revolutionizing the way people see color, and videos like this are being posted and shared every single day.
With each one that I see, it makes me think back to something that Hillsong’s Joel Houston said in an interview a few years back.
While discussing the group’s album, Wonder, the megachurch worship pastor breaks down the lyrics of the record’s title track, “Wonder.”
It begins: “Have you ever seen the wonder in the glimmer of first sight? As the eyes begin to open, and the blindness meets the light.”
Joel says that this first verse is simply about our eyes being opened to the light that is Jesus Christ. But interestingly enough, it was inspired by videos like this one of William Reed.
“I saw a video of a guy who’d been color blind his whole life,” Joel says. “He saw color for the first time, and just the way [he reacted]…he’d just never seen like that before.”
Joel goes on to explain that he sees the Christian journey very similarly.
“When we get saved, our eyes are opened to the kingdom, to what God is doing—a different way of looking at the world,” he explains.
And the reactions that come from it, are inspiring. William exudes joy and excitement, almost like that of a child experiencing something incredible for the first time.
Joel talks about how we’re called to have childlike faith.
“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:3
“I’ve got a three-and-a-half-year-old son,” Joel says, “and the way he looks at the world, and the way I think about him, it’s taught me so much about how I believe God looks at us.”
Talking about his son’s excitement, joy and wonder for everything in the world, Joel says he believes it’s the way we’re all called to live as Christians; with an expectant, childlike faith that inspires others.
“I think if we lived that way, we’d set the greatest example for the world, because no one else has got anything else to look to.”