“The other day,” Stan began, “I was driving over to Johnsonville to visit the pastor of the community church. Just as I was approaching the summit near Weston, I came upon a thick fog bank.”
“That can be dangerous,” I responded.
“Your right! One minute I was driving under a clear sky and the next minute the fog was so thick I could hardly see ten feet in front of me. Just as I was about to pull over to wait for the fog to lift, I came upon some flares in the road. Two cars had crashed into the ditch and they put out flares to warn other drivers.”
“Was everyone okay?” I asked.
“No one was injured, but there was quite a bit of damage to both cars.”
“Did they say what had happened?”
“I just talked to the driver of the second car,” Stan replied,”and he said that because he couldn’t see in the fog, he was following the car in front of him real closely. Turns out the driver of that car couldn’t see either and he drove off the road. The second car followed him into the ditch and crashed into his car.”
“The blind leading the blind!” I replied.
“Exactly,” Stan said, “and this is the sort of thing Jesus was talking about when He warned me about who and what I follow. The third step of discipleship is to follow Him. If I don’t know Him and if I can’t see Him clearly enough, I’m in danger.”
“In danger of what?” I asked.
“First thing,” Stan replied, “is the big danger of heading in the wrong direction when my time here is done. Since I have accepted God’s free and gracious gift of salvation and redemption through the cross of Christ, I’m no longer subject to that danger.”
“However,” he continued, “there’s always the danger of following the wrong thing or the wrong person on this side of eternity. If I can’t see clearly enough to know where I’m going, that’s always a danger.”
“And how do you avoid that?”
“Know who and what I’m following by knowing, listening to, embracing, and following the truth of God’s word and His voice so that I can measure everything against that and not be blinded by the fog that can appear so quickly out of the blue.”
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Bible verses to consider:
Let them alone, they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit. Matthew 15:14.
A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? Luke 6:39.
Woe to you, blind guides . . . . Matthew 23:16.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of guides that are not blind. You have provided the clear vision of where I’m going when my time here is done — into your eternal presence. While you keep me in this life, you provide the guidance of your word, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of people who are not blind. Please help me in not being blinded by the world, the flesh, and the devil, so I can truly see where you want me to go, doing what you intend for me, for as long as I am here. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Can you see clearly that you will be going into God’s eternal presence when your life here is done? If no, why? If that is what you want and you don’t have it, do you know how to claim God’s free and gracious provision? How about the time you have remaining on this side of eternity? Are you blinded to what God has for you to be and to do? What are the pits for you to avoid, the pits that one can fall into when the blind are being led by the blind.?
Waiting for the Train 