I have this old friend who is blind. I didn't know he had lost his sight until we met again recently, after not seeing each other for many years. I've learned a few things from him about "flying blind". (I think that's the phrase pilots use when they can't see anything outside the plane, and have to depend on their instruments or radio to fly or land).
I think that 'flying blind' is actually fairly common amongst us humans; especially when you are a Christ-follower. The big thing about being a Christian is that the one who created us and loves us, and whom we love and serve in return, isn't visible with our eyes. And 'stuff' can happen that prevents us from seeing what he is doing in our lives. One of the church fathers, Peter, reminded some early Christians in a letter he wrote, saying, "You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him - with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation". (The Message 1 Peter 1: 8, 9)
If ever there was a sentence that describes living by faith, this would be it.
I've found that there are a lot of things that can happen in life that are totally unexpected. A week ago my wife and I are sitting down to dinner, enjoying some alone time, when our daughter calls and says that she's sitting on the freeway and her car has stopped running. (Not a great place to park your car!!). Clearly, this isn't something she (or us) planned for.
No one gets up in the morning and decides to have an accident on the way to work. Not too many of us actually plan to destroy our family life, or get sacked from your work, or run out of money, or lose a loved one, etc. And these things can cause us to become disillusioned, or flying blind, not able to understand why they happen, or how to get out of them. And this, in turn, is a recipe for weariness.
Here is a few things that I've learned from my vision impaired friend about flying blind:
1. We need to become familiar with our surroundings. My friend knows where the things are around his house that he needs, and he can go straight to them without a lot of effort. Jesus promise was that he would never leave us, ever. If he is always with us then we need to get to know him. If God's love for me is an absolute certainty, then I need to become familiar with him, and what he says about me.
2. Look out for sharp objects. I got to my friends house one day and he had an egg on his head where he had forgotten where the edge of a cupboard was, bent over and smacked his head. In other words: pick your battles. Stay away from sharp objects, and the things you know will cause pain and heartache to yourself or others. There will be plenty of dramas that come along without creating our own on purpose.
3. We have to learn to trust others. My friend and I went for a walk the other day to trace the steps to a bus stop near his house. As we mapped out the steps and obstacles between his house and the bus stop, he had to put an amazing amount of faith in me. We had to cross a couple of busy streets, high gutters, up and down a steep hill, as well as find our way around an unnecessary fence - and remember, he can't see anything! Unfortunately, this will prove too much for some: we tend to draw a wide brush stroke with humanity and say, you just can't trust anybody. Well, you can't say that because it isn't fair on others, and it just simply isn't true. If that describes you then you may want to revisit the words to an old song by Simon and Garfunkel, I am a Rock. . . . (Especially the very last line). If you refuse to trust others, period, then you lose out on what the good people have to offer, and others lose out on the good you have to offer.
Flying blind isn't what any pilot would choose to do, but I can imagine that they would train for it anyway. Stuff will happen; curve balls happen; disillusionment will come from time to time. In these situations and circumstances, seeing isn't believing, sight isn't everything.
P.S. And here's a thought: Try laughing and singing anyway, whether you can see or not . . .
Talk soon . . . . dmd
