Staying on the Sidewalk

Twice a week, I am at the local community college with my eldest son as he attends a dual credit class there.  He is under the age of 16, so I must be on campus in order for him to be able to attend the class.

Thankfully, for him, I do not have to sit in the class itself, merely be on campus.  Believe me, he breathed a huge sigh of relief on that one!

What this affords me is about 3 hours a week that I can head to the campus library and just soak up the quiet.  I typically perform highly exciting activities such as balancing my check book, grading papers, or wasting time on fb.

Lately, I have noticed a young lady, a student here, who comes into the library to wait for a ride home.  She happens to be blind and while some may find it awkward and unusual, I don't mind admitting that I stare at her the whole time she is there.  OK, stare isn't a "nice" word, so let's just say, I observe her.  That sounds better, doesn't it?

As I am observing her, I am intrigued at how well she gets around the place.  She uses a walking cane and is completely independent from any assistance.  Perhaps it is the OT in me that finds this amazing, but I do.  I love to watch how the human mind can adapt to most any given situation.  She is able to maneuver around everything in her way and while it may take it just a bit longer to get where she is going, she gets there and on her own power.

This past Monday, I was enjoying a cup of joe outside the library and had the opportunity to watch her exit the building.  Her ride must have come and she was heading to the parking lot to be driven home.  It was quite an incredible event to watch, er, I mean observe, her as she made her way down the sidewalks the entire way to the parking lot.  Using her cane as her guide, she was able to discover where the twists and turns were in the concrete pathways.  She came dangerously close to the edges of the sidewalks, to the point where a few times, I thought she was going to fall into the grass.  She did not.  Not even one time did she step off of the sidewalk.  She made several turns and even one turn that was actually a fork in the path complete with a huge metal light pole in the middle of the fork.  Without hesitation, and with her cane as her lead, she stepped with complete confidence in the direction she has memorized in her mind that will bring her to her destination.

All of this observation has left me something to ponder this week, and I thought I would share it here.  I am much like this beautiful blind young woman, with one exception.  I can see.  But sometimes I wonder if that isn't the true disability.  This young lady was so confident, so sure of her path, and she did not question her steps as she made her way to the parking lot.  Why is that?  It is because she trust what she knows.  She can't rely on what she thinks she sees coming at her.  She doesn't have that ability.  But she can trust what she knows.  The cane doesn't lie.  The map in her mind doesn't change.  And if she remains focused on her destination she will arrive safely and soundly.

I wonder how many times I have fallen off the sidewalk of my life because of what I thought I had seen coming towards me.  I wonder, if I had just trusted God as this young lady trusted her cane, knowing that He will never betray me, how many grass stains I could have avoided.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and that He can draw the best things from even the darkest of moments, but in order for that to happen, I must cooperate with Him and trust Him.  Much like the young lady with the walking cane.

He calls us to pick up our crosses and walk with Him.  He promises that His yoke is light.  Can I believe this, always?  I pray that I can and stay on the sidewalk.