“Blindness is symbolic of the inability to perceive or the refusal to acknowledge the works of God.”
Jennifer Brooks, professor of mathematics, shared a unique perspective at a BYU devotional this morning on what blindness means to her and how it is represented in the scriptures.
Brooks used her experience of becoming legally blind to highlight scriptural themes of blindness and the lessons they teach.
She focused her message on the biblical account of the blind man healed by the Savior, emphasizing the need for everyone to examine their own spiritual blindness.
“For a blind man to receive his sight would immediately and dramatically change his life and would be a great miracle, undeniable to him, to those around him, and to all those who later heard the story,” Brooks shared.
Because of her own blindness, scriptural stories of both temporal and spiritual blindness resonate with her in meaningful ways.
With each story, she invited the audience to reflect on a series of questions about their own spiritual vision.
The Savior went about healing physical ailments, but His greatest power is His ability to heal spiritually as well, Brooks taught.
She also shared her conversion to the gospel and the spiritual blindness she experiences throughout much of her adult life.
“My vision has changed how I do some things, but it hasn’t fundamentally changed what I do.”
Comparing her physical blindness to her spiritual journey, Brooks testified that while Christ could one day restore her physical sight, the greater miracle has been the restoration of her spiritual vision.
By Ashleigh Staples, June 09, 2026
Media Contact: Aaron Sorenson
Originally published by BYU News