“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV)
Yesterday, I learned how to load a disabled vehicle onto a car trailer. Now, I did grow up in a home with a father who owned 93 cars, most of which were chronically disabled. I had watched my dad load dead vehicles out of a field or a dilapidated barn many, many times. But yesterday, I participated in the process. Rob ran the electric winch – praise God for whoever invented that ingenious device! It as a far cry from the rickety comealong system we employed back in the day! So Rob ran said winch, I was the driver and Chris commanded the whole endeavor from his wheelchair.
Did I mention I was the driver?
The thing I really got a hold of yesterday is the blind confidence the driver must have in the spotter when amidst such an endeavor. The powerless vehicle had to be pulled up and to the right about a foot, a process that involved overcompensating before correcting. As the driver, with nose in the air at a 60 degree angle, it felt for all the world like I was going to fall off the twelve inch wide ramps. I had to trust my spotter completely. Honestly, at one point, I closed my eyes so I could hear his voice over my own shouting sense of panic. A disabled vehicle carelessly rolled off the ramps midair would mangle the car and the trailer.
Maybe you can see what I am getting at? There have been so many times with Jesus where it felt like I was falling off tiny ramps. I feel like I’ve spent the entire last year teetering on the edge of disaster. I’ve had to learn to close my eyes to fear and put all my effort into listening to the One who loves me, and trust that He has me. He won’t lead me into the abyss.
Living by faith means following when you can’t see, or when what you do see feels all wrong. Walking by faith means implicitly trusting that God, the spotter, continually maintains perfect perspective on our whole scenario.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
Lord, sometimes life is scary and we can’t see where we are going. Sometimes it is an uphill battle and it feels like we are falling, like we are failing. But Lord, You are our perfect spotter. If we’ll only heed Your instructions, You’ll get us home safely. Please help us listen to Your voice and trust You above our feelings or circumstances. Amen.