104: Now I See: losing her sight hasn't stopped her with Janet Eckles

Today's guest is Janet Perez Eckles. She is a speaker and the author of five books. We discussed excerpts from her memoir, Now I See: How God's Amazing Grace Transforms the Deepest Pain to Shining Joy. 

Janet Eckles grew up in Bolivia during the twelve years of the Bolivian revolution. She observed the grit and determination her mom and dad showed as they struggled to live during difficult circumstances. 

Janet internalized their response to challenge, which helped her tremendously when she learned she's inherited the gene for a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. Janet was thirteen when the eye doctor shared this news with her parents. He predicted she wouldn't lose her sight until she was sixty years old.

Janet met Gene, and they fell in love and were married. Three sons followed, which brought her much joy. Unfortunately, her eyesight began diminishing during her twenties. By her thirtieth birthday, Janet had completely lost her sight.  Gene struggled greatly with his wife losing her sight. When she shared with him that she was blind, he shared that he'd found someone else.

Janet's world crashed down around her. A friend invited her to her church's healing service.  This became a turning point in Janet's story. Growing up Catholic, Janet recited prayers, but she didn't know Jesus. At that healing service, Janet didn't experience healing. But she met Jesus. 

Janet learned about Jesus' love, which caused her to realize how much she needed Jesus to take over every part of her life. Sometime later, Gene returned and asked forgiveness. They began repairing their marriage.

Years later, Janet leaned hard on her faith in Jesus when their son Joe was murdered. Although the man was arrested on first degree murder charges, the jury found him not guilty.  Janet, Gene, and her other sons were devastated by the jury's decision.

Janet and Gene's marriage survived many challenges, but after forty-two years they divorced. With God's guidance, Janet has processed and learned from the challenges she's fought to overcome. She shares the message of Jesus' victory in our lives with audiences across the nation.


Notable quotes from this episode with Janet Eckles:

• "I refused to believe I was going blind. Those things don't happen to me . . . I still believe. God is going to heal me. Something's going to happen, and there's no way I could lose my sight completely."
• "I didn't know that while I could see physically, I was spiritually blind."
• "When we're going through the hardship, when we're going through the heartache, we need to remember God has all the pieces put together. He has a plan. He has a purpose . . . And all we have to do is trust Him."

Bible verses:

• Matthew 6:33
• Psalm 46:10
• Romans 12:2
• Romans 8:28
• Proverbs 3:5-6

Check out Amazon for Janet's books. Learn more about her and invite her speak by visiting her website.

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