Burning Your Eyeballs

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/eye-sunburn-anderson-cooper-temporary-blindness_n_2239020.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57557493/anderson-cooper-on-temporary-blindness-cnn-shakeup/

“It turns out I have sunburned my eyeballs.  I had no idea you could do this.” Anderson Cooper.  Cooper had a case of photokeratitis, commonly called “snow blindness, ” in which ultraviolet light which reflects off snow, sand, or water painfully urns the cornea.  The damage is not permanent.  It is why snow skiers wear sunglasses.  The thing I noticed here was his statement, “I had no idea you could do this.”

The experienced Portuguese sailors should have thought to remind Cooper to wear sunglasses.or a brimmed hat or both.  Cooper was not an absolute water novice but he had never heard of the condition.  That did not stop the ultraviolet radiation from burning his eyes.  There is a legal principle: “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

The application of this occurrence for Christians is this: there are pitfalls and dangers which come as part of being a Christian.  They are there and are operative whether or not the believer is aware of them.  Also, there are pleasures and privileges which come as part of being a Christian. They, also, are there and are operative whether or not the believer is aware of them.  

It is incumbent upon experienced Christians to teach new believers these things.  And new believers need to study to learn these things.  The place where they will learn these things is in the Bible.