“They know not, nor do they discern; for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their minds, so that they cannot understand.” (Isaiah 44:18) I dedicated many years of my life to teaching - or, at least, making the attempt. My area was secondary math. I can literally hear the sighs and see the eye rolling going on right now as you read this. “I always hated math,” you’re saying. “It was so hard for me!” Yet there I stood, 180 days out of each year, doing my best to clear out cobwebs and introduce the beautiful patterns that emerge when one’s mental eyes are opened. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many different approaches I might take, there was always someone who had convinced himself it couldn’t be done. So when I read Isaiah’s words in my daily study, they hit me square between the eyes and I felt great empathy for the Lord. But the passage also proved true what I’ve said over and over: Hitting people over the head with a bible will never convince them of salvation.