Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
Sometimes the biggest obstacle is the fear we pack in our suitcase when we travel through life.
We stood at the doorway of the hotel room. “Is there anything I can do for you?” the lady who picked me up from the airport asked.
“Well…thanks,” I said, “only one thing…can you go in the bathroom and tell me which is the shampoo and which is the body lotion?”
Strange question, isn’t it? Well, when you are blind and the hotel room is a foreign place, a bit of navigating is needed to get familiar. But the tough part, the really tough part is determining which is which among those little containers lined up on the bathroom counter.
I learned the hard way. I’ve shampooed with body lotion. And yuck, I have spread shampoo on my body, assuming it was body lotion. I’m okay with that because all that’s part of the adventure when I travel to speaking engagements.
But, this true story made me think twice about staying in a hotel room alone:
Some years ago my husband was traveling in Europe, and he would leave me alone with only my maid in a large house, far from neighbors. One night, after my habitual reading of the Bible and prayers, I went to bed. As soon as I entered our room, I saw, in the mirror, the reflection of a man hiding behind the wardrobe. I was terrified and thought of screaming for help, but I knew it would be useless.
Determined to trust in God, I walked with trembling legs, and with as brave a heart as possible, took my Bible that was on top of a small table and sat in the chair nearby. I started to read in a loud voice chapter 53 of Isaiah, and then knelt down and started to pray asking God for His protection against thieves and every kind of evil.
Then I got up and sat in the chair again. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and a voice saying: “Don’t be afraid. You are safe. I came here to rob this house, but this chapter is the one my mother used to read to me, and your prayer reminded me of her prayers. I am going away now. You don’t need to be afraid of anything.
She saw the shadow, but being blind, I’d never see one. But know what? Fear never moves in with me in any hotel room or anywhere. And it won’t with you either if you believe in these three promises in Isaiah 41:10.
- God’s presence is with us: “Fear not; for I am with you…”
- No intruder is a match to His power because He says, “…be not dismayed; for I am your God…”
- He will come to our aid when fear tries to make us weak. He said, “I will strengthen you…”
- He will come to our aid when fear attacks our thoughts. He says, “I will help you…”
- His protection is stronger than any outside force. He promises, “Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”
No matter where you travel, I invite you to make a reservation in the hotel of His grace. That’s where fear dies and faith grows.
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In younger days, you were at that beach up to your shoulders in water, and a surge caught you. Suddenly there was no bottom to stand on. You can swim, but you panicked. In your case a taller man was standing right there and put his hand out to you. He then walked you back to where you could stand on your own and left with your deep-felt thanks. On this day on the way to the beach you also had the memory of a recent accident in your extended family where a much beloved young man died after getting caught in a riptide in another state.
Old Things R New 