I Once Was Blind, But Now I See

 My oldest, daughter, McKayla has been intrigued by the story of Helen Keller since she was in the second grade. For a long time after learning the story, she would walk through the house feeling her way around as if she were blind. As a matter of fact, she and her sister still do it on occasion and it never fails that they either hurt themselves or knock something over during their sightless voyages through my house.

Sometimes that’s how I feel when walking with God. I can’t see where the road leads and I can’t see what I might stumble upon along the way, so I am tempted to stretch my hands before me, testing what is ahead instead of trusting His leading. It is difficult sometimes to walk in faith when the future is uncertain and I often step out in fear instead of faith and forget that He’s right there beside me the whole time, just waiting for me to take His hand and let Him lead me.

I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17

We really don’t have to know where we are going, we only need to know the One we are going with. The only constant on each path we go down is Him. The better we know Him, the easier it will be to walk with Him along a path we cannot see. “Seek” in this context means to search after painstakingly. We often painstakingly feel our way around in the dark unknown paths of this life trying to figure out the big picture, fearing we will get lost instead of painstakingly searching after Him. Could it be possible that God’s not worried about our finding out the details of what’s along the way, but more concerned about our finding Him? If the path or the environment is unknown, do we really know what we are feeling for anyway? It would be so much better to painstakingly seek Him in those unknown places, so that we could know Him, feeling our way around to know without a doubt that it is God there with us. I may get lost on the the road, but if I look for Him, He promises me that I will find Him. Even though it has been years since I have held it, I think I would still know what my dad’s hand feels like, even if I couldn’t see it. That’s how well I want to know God, I don’t want to be deceived and take the wrong hand.

Since she could neither see nor hear, if Helen Keller was searching for a particular person, she would feel the features on the faces of the people in the room to figure out each one until she found the one she was looking for. What if we sought Him so painstakingly that it was as if we felt for the features of His face? Since I can’t look upon His face, oh how I would love to reach out and feel His features. I would love to know what His face feels like when He smiles. Is His grin crooked like mine? Do His eyes wrinkle in the corners with joy? I would love to know what His face looks like when He laughs, and even when His expression says “maybe she’ll figure it out next time”. Can you imagine His expression when someone accepts His Son for the first time?

My friend, Leslie, knows me pretty well and always says she can tell what I’m thinking by the look on my face. That’s how well I want to know Him. I long for you to know Him that well too.

Father, the things I have said today may seem a little “out there” for some that are reading and I pray that you would do with these words what You will. I have tried my best I to convey what I mean, but it has been difficult. I know that my hands can’t physically touch Your face this side of Heaven, but my heart can and my heart wants to know Your expressions. I want to know what You think with every decision I contemplate, every step that I take, every breath that I breathe. I want my each reader’s heart to long for the same. If we could see nothing at all – everything else uncertain - could we still “see” You? I want our answers to be a resounding YES, God.

Royal Princess Daughter of the King