Adventures
“And
if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the
desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise
in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy
your desire in scorched places, and give strength to
your bones; and you will be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail”
(Isaiah 58:10-11)
When challenged to think of
activities that could be described as “adventures,”
many would come up with ideas such as white water
rafting, jumping out of airplanes, or rappelling up
mountains. Actually, there are wonderful adventures
all around us, just waiting to happen, and many of
them are not only free, but they’re also wonderful!
A couple of weeks ago, we
attended a Men’s Retreat, in Payson, Arizona. There
were 43 of us, and I had previously met quite a few
of the men, during the years I attended Calvary
Chapel East Mesa, in Arizona. I think I had the
best time of any of us, because of the adventure
with Pastor Howard and his friend, Susan, who is in
a wheelchair.
Howard and I had arranged to
meet at the Phoenix Airport, and we connected by
cell phone as soon as I landed. I asked, “Where
are you?” and he responded, “I
don’t know,” which makes sense because Howard
is blind. He knew he was in the airport at Terminal
Four, but had no reference points to guide him
beyond that basic information.
He then asked me, “What
level are you on?” and even though I’ve
landed in Phoenix many times, I never thought about
“levels” at all, simply following the signs with
arrows that said “Baggage
Claim” and “Exit.”
Unlike Howard, I had no excuse to be unaware of my
location, and discovered that I was on the First
Level. Howard informed me he was at the America
West ticket counter, one level up. Onto the
escalator I went, lugging two oversized suitcases
that contained little except sleeping bags for
Howard and me at the Men’s Retreat, and I had a
carry-on full of books that kept slipping off my
shoulder.
I did not see Howard at the
America West Ticket Counter. By now I had learned
through the cell phone that Howard’s beloved friend,
Susan, was with him, and that she would join us for
dinner before we left the airport. I saw a woman in
a wheelchair and asked if Susan was wearing a red
sweater. “No,”
Howard responded, and he paused to ask Susan the
color she was wearing – she replied, “white.”
I kept looking.
Howard was in mid-sentence,
when I suddenly realized that I was hearing Howard
from BOTH ears, not just the one with the cell
phone. I looked to my left, and there he was,
moving his white cane rapidly from side-to-side,
with his other hand holding the arm of a young man
in an America West Airlines uniform. I shouted “Howard!”
over the noise of the airport and we connected at
last. Then I met Susan in person for the first
time.
She’s not only in an
electric-driven wheelchair, but she also has been
blind for two years, and it was at that moment the
adventure really began. There were people with
baggage rushing in every direction and suddenly I
had to learn how to guide two people who could see –
nothing! Howard held onto the back of Susan’s
chair, and I was backing-up, giving instructions to
Susan, who made turns in either direction in
response to my words. “A
little to the left…
now just a touch to the
right…” while I back-pedaled and guided
them. We were dodging travelers and luggage, as we
went into elevators and around corners, while the
loud speakers drowned-out many of my words and
Susan’s responses.
We found a suitable restaurant,
discovering that Susan’s over-sized wheelchair had
about two inches of clearance on either side in the
aisles, and that travelers tend to dump their
suitcases into the aisles and become annoyed when
you ask for them to be moved. We were in a hurry at
all times because the “Access” transportation
vehicle was to be at the front of the terminal to
pick us up in just forty-five minutes!
What an adventure! I’ve
accompanied people in wheelchairs on many occasions,
walking with them as they rode, and was in a
wheelchair myself for five years, but none of that
was anything like this experience. All during the
time we were together, I was reminded of Scriptures
like ours for today, thinking anew that you and I
are blind to the pathways and dangers that only God
can see, and we usually don’t respond to His leading
as-well-as Susan followed me. Howard followed Susan
and Susan trusted in me, enabling us all to get
safely where we needed to go.
In today’s Scripture, God was
speaking to so-called “Able-Bodied”
persons (as the disabled community refers to
everybody else), and He is essentially saying, “if
you will help others, I will help you.” “If
you lead the blind, I will lead you,” and
please note that YOU (every one of us, each in our
own way) – you and I are “blind” as well. If you
would like to argue the point and say you are not
“blind,” let me ask you a question: “Can you “see”
tomorrow? I don’t mean GUESS about how it is likely
to be – can you actually SEE what is going to happen
to you, to this world, the next day and the one
after that? We are blind to what will happen in the
next MINUTE of our lives!
God CAN see tomorrow. The Holy
Spirit “will tell you things
to come” (John 16:13), if you are willing to
“hear” to the degree Susan intently listened to me.
He WILL show you the way because HE KNOWS the way.
“The Lord will continually
guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched
places, and give strength to your bones; and you
will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of
water whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah
58:10-11).
When we arrived in Payson for
Howard’s first Men’s Retreat, I was privileged to be
his guide for the weekend. I led him up to trees so
he could feel the trunks of them. I was surprised
to learn that, through feeling, he knows the TYPES
of trees better than I do, even though I can see the
leaves and he can’t. He asked what a squirrel looks
like, and I did my best to tell him. We talked
about the clouds and what they are like.
Please note that when you and I
respond to the Lord’s command to love one another
(John 13:34), WE benefit tremendously, for we are
given much by the Lord when we do. Best of all, “the
Lord will continually guide you.” You and I
ARE blind, but you don’t need to ever be afraid
again, for He is with you and He will show you the
way. Let’s pray:
Father, help me to trust in You
and be willing to help others. In Jesus Name. Amen.
