“…I Couldn’t See My Feet Walking!” When my (now grown) daughter was about three years old we lived in a house with our family room in the basement. Jenny and I had been in the family room watching something on TV when she decided she needed a doll from her bedroom upstairs. I had forgotten that the sun had gone down in the time we’d been in the basement. So, when she arrived back downstairs and I remembered, I asked, “Could you see where you were going?” She replied, “No, I couldn’t see my feet walking!” I thought about that as I began to unwrap the message from our scriptures this week. Let’s see where this goes.
Monday, April 4 -
In First Samuel we read about the anointing of David. It’s an interesting story because almost everyone in the scenario expected God to choose one of Jesse’s oldest sons. In fact, no one thought David had a chance, being the youngest and the weakest (at that point) of all the brothers. When those kinds of things happen, I’m sure, the one, unexpectedly chosen, feel a little like my young daughter making her way through the darkness. But, when we encounter that kind of darkness, God guides us just as God guided David throughout his years!
Tuesday, April 5 -
Most of us can repeat the 23rd Psalm from memory. This is a beautiful Psalm that we remember during some of the darkest times in our lives. It is usually prayed at funerals. Think about the last time you prayed this psalm in a time of sadness. How did it affect you? Did you understand its words? Did its message speak to you in a brand new way? This beautiful old Psalm helps us during those times when we can’t see “OUR feet walking!
Wednesday, April 6 -
Paul said in Ephesians 5:8-14, “For once you were darkness, but now in the LORD you are light.” While this may have been confusing to some of the first hearers, Paul had a good point in that we are called by God to be the “light” of the world. He goes on to say that when we’re the light we subscribe to all that’s right, good, true and that which is pleasing to God. If you’ve wondered around lately like you couldn’t see your feet walking, think about this passage. Think about the ways you can do all those things that are indeed pleasing to God. Share some of your insights with those you love!
Thursday, April 7 -
The first part of John 9 gives us an excellent depiction of one of Jesus’ healings, as he made a man that had been blind from birth able to see. This is an excellent example of Jesus’ ability to take something quite ordinary (his own saliva) and cause it to become extraordinary! Now, while that kind of a thing seemed impossible for a man to do, we know that nothing is impossible for God. When things seem impossible for us we feel as though we are somehow in the dark. It is only God who can bring us out of that darkness and shed God’s unbelievable light on ANY situation!
Friday, April 8 -
This Gospel text is again, the ultimate example of how Jesus can open our eyes. This time I’m not even talking about the blind man. I’m referring to the Pharisees. They thought they had all the answers. They thought in their culture they were above reproach. Jesus pointed out to them that they were blind, more so than the one who had been blind since birth. What does this text tell us about ourselves? Do we think we have all the answers? Are we offended when we discover we don’t? Are we walking around in such darkness that we cannot see our own feet walking? Re-read this passage and see how you fit into this story. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see,…”