Blind

One very cold morning my then four-year-old son, Kai accompanied me to the grocery store to grab a few things. As we stood in the checkout line I instructed Kai to put on his hat before we walked back out into the elements. But my fun-spirited boy couldn't put it on the "right" way, instead, he pulled the over-sized cap over his entire face. As we were leaving the cashier said, "I don't know how he can see." I quickly replied, "he can't", and kept walking. We walked towards the door as the cashier stared dumbfounded, trying to figure out what kind of mom would let her child walk out the door, across a parking lot blind.

The answer is the kind of mom whose kid never holds her hand.

You see, Kai has always been too independent for my peace. He viewed holding my hand as a sign of weakness. But, with his eyes covered he knew he HAD to depend on me. As the exit doors slid open, he reached up and grabbed my hand. This was the first time he did so voluntarily. I guided him with ease toward our vehicle. As we were almost to the car his disorientation caught up with him and he informed me, "mom, I can't see." Immediately I asked the question he had already answered by making it that far, "do you trust me?" "Yes", my brave boy replied. That trust pushed him past the fear and got us safely to our destination.

When Kai is fully sighted, he's distracted. He runs after every shiny thing he sees, a scary proposition when you know those "shiny things" are attached to vehicles that could crush him in seconds. The cashier thought I was a neglectful mom for allowing his blindness, but the truth was that because I knew him best, I knew blindness would serve him well. This story only ends well because Kai trusted the one whose hand he was holding.

This is a picture of how the Lord often leads us. He will, at times, let us walk blindly so we can cling more closely to him. He knows us better than anyone else, in fact, He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows how easily distracted and rebellious we can be, and He knows the danger awaiting such attitudes, so He puts us in situations where we can't make it on our own. This is for our protection. The Lord's decision to walk you "blind" isn't a punishment or "power trip", it's proof that He knows and loves you deeply.

This is how you learn to walk by faith and NOT by sight (2 corinthians 5:7). In this portion of Corinthians Paul was talking about the journey we are on towards our heavenly home. As Christians, we have joined a faith that is based on things we cannot see. For example, we've never seen heaven, but we have faith in Jesus's promise that He went to prepare a place for us, so we strive to be there with Him one day.

Is it any wonder that the God of a religion based on faith in the unseen would consistently ask you to test that faith and trust in Him?

In the times of darkness and uncertainty, don't focus on the fear; focus on the way His hand feels in yours. Put your mind on the tenor of the confidence in His voice. Learn to lean into those things, trusting He knows the way, and you will reach your destination safely.