Craig Clouston

Not By Sight

Walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Sandy’s mother, Gladys, was legally blind. Now in her eighties, Sandy helped care for her.
“Mom,” Sandy said. “Do you remember the day you sent me to school for the first time?”
“Oh, honey! That’s a day I will never forget! It’s funny you should ask,” Gladys responded with delight.
“Whaddya mean?” Sandy asked.
“I was thinking about that just last week. I felt so bad making you get on that bus. I cried most of the morning. I called your father and told him he’d have to stay home from work and send you himself if the crying continued!” She laughed. “I made it through those first few weeks with a lot of tissues and prayer. And I grew to trust God.” Gladys’s eyes were blind, but you could tell she was seeing those days in a way blindness couldn’t alter.
“Many a time I thanked the good Lord for His constant assurance. Not knowing the reasons for some of the trials we went through made it difficult. And though I didn’t always understand what He was up to, I learned to trust Him. As I trusted God, He proved faithful. Those lessons have come in handy. If I didn’t trust Him, I’d have become angry or bitter about my blindness. Knowing He has His reasons has allowed me to look past the obstacle and lean on His strength as I face each new day.”

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God rarely explains the reasons for His actions. And we have a choice in response: anger and frustration or submission and trust.
Faith requires risk. When we take a calculated risk, we have some idea of how things will turn out. Yet sometimes we have no idea what God is up to. And that can be disconcerting if we dwell on what’s next.
Gladys could easily have spent her days questioning God about her blindness. Instead, because of her experience and years of walking with Him, she chose to believe that He would bring blessings out of difficulty. Having emerged victorious through the trials of her life gave her hope for the future.

Prayer

“Lord, teach me to trust. Show me how to have faith instead of giving in to the natural tendency to cut and run. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”