I love
object lessons, don’t you? I find myself far more likely to grasp and remember
a concept if I have a relatable, first-hand example to drive the point home (I
especially appreciate the example in food form). ;)
Today God
supplied me with one-such object lesson (sans food). I had a humbling
experience that made me reflect on 2 Corinthians 5:7. It’s a pretty common
scripture – it graces postcards, mock eye charts and decorative signs – ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight’.
Whenever I glimpse this verse I chuckle at the irony of how
it could so easily be my life verse. Since I lost my vision I take a lot on
faith. For instance, I trust that the white creamy substance located near the
meat course is gravy. Imagine my surprise to discover not everyone arranges a
table the way I expect and my entrée is swimming in tapioca pudding.
Today I made a less messy, but equally surprising, humbling and
impactful misstep, literally. A curb rose up to greet me and left me with a
wrenched left side as a parting gift. I had no one to blame, but in my embarrassment
and pain I wanted to cast blame anywhere but with its rightful owner… me.
When I first lost my vision I went out of my way to appear
normal, in fact, I took pride in keeping others in the dark as to my
limitations. Through the years, friends and family have challenged me to be
more honest and forthright with others about my low vision and to not be too
proud to ask for help. Case in point… in the first years of adjusting to
difficulty with facial recognition I had some of the most generic conversations
as I pondered who I knew well enough to receive hugs from when returning to my
hometown. I’d smile and nod, but all the while I’d wrack my brain to figure out
who I was talking with. If only I’d had the grace to put aside my embarrassment
and pride and just ask who was hugging me I’d have had a much more edifying
conversation beyond – “lovely weather we’re having.”
Navigating unfamiliar territory with blinders and a foggy
windshield (figuratively speaking) requires a good guide. I am blessed to have
several friends and family willing to be my seeing-eye guide, but even so (and
without casting any disparagement upon their helpfulness) I’ve been hit by
speeding moped, trampled countless wet floor signs, gotten lost in my own
neighborhood, am perpetually disoriented in department stores and most
recently, taken a tumble up a curb.
Whom I choose to follow, impacts my well-being. And when I
choose to rush ahead or lag behind my guide or go my own way to cloak my
weakness I come to no good.
The spiritual parallel of this hard truth isn’t lost on me
tonight. Our humility and willingness to seek guidance is every bit as
important as whom we look to for guidance. I can choose to rely on myself or
get swept up in the world’s trends and rhetoric, but without Christ’s faithful,
trustworthy & timely guidance, sooner or later I’ll have another curbside
close-encounter.
How many times have I run ahead or lagged behind when I felt
God’s prompting? Or worse yet, forged my own path to prove my self-sufficiency?
And each time, when my plans go awry I shift the blame elsewhere or question
where God was – why He didn’t save me from the chaos and hurt of my own making.
It’s every bit as pitiful as grasping for a stand bar on the Underground and
grabbing a fistful of a sweaty man’s chest!
Proverbs 16:18 First pride, then the crash— the
bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
The
takeaway from today’s spill? I may need to swallow my bruised ego and start
sporting a new accessory – white cane training here I come?!?! But more
important taking practical steps to guard against a bruised ego or backside I’ve
been reminded that Christ is always a safe guide! I think Corrie ten Boom sums
it up beautifully, “Never be afraid to
trust an unknown future to a known God.”
