by Brandy Webb

My family, extended included, and I celebrated my grandfather’s 95th birthday this past weekend. He is my longest living relative so far. It was wonderful to celebrate with him for his longevity.

After the celebration some of us went over to visit more at his home, and I asked him what it felt like to be nearly a full century. By the way, he does hope to meet that three digit mark, and God willing, he will. He shared with me that he has to be even wiser now because he can’t see where he is going. Now, he was not being funny. My grandfather has suffered from macular degeneration since I was in my teens, and let’s just say it has been a very long time. He is legally blind, but he can see some out of his peripheral. Needless to say, it does make it hard to get from point A to point B.

He was sharing how that if he wants to go check on the garden, he needs to first think about his route, and figure out the best, shortest, and easiest way to get from his house to the garden. He can’t see any divots or holes that may be along the way, so he needs to know that if he were to trip he would land safely. Therefore, he has to think and use wisdom more since his eyesight is bad. He can’t see where he is going, so he must think about every step he is about to make.

I got to thinking that his lesson is a spiritual one, also. We can’t see where we are going. No matter how much we plan our goals, we cannot see if there will be a “divot” in our path or a stumbling block. However, we can use wisdom to help us make it from point A to point B, and the first step to wisdom is what? “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). We all should know that this fear isn’t the being afraid of the “boogie man” type fear. No, this “fear” means to give reverence to God, giving deep respect to Him, obeying Him, and honoring Him. This gives us wisdom, and acknowledging His existence gives us understanding. We need both to make it through this world when we can’t always see the path.

Another truth, we all want to make it to the Kingdom of God. We definitely do not foresee what is going to happen between now and then. However, we do not have to walk blindly. God’s Word, if we get into it and learn it, is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). A very wise woman pointed out that the lamp to our feet reveals where we are now, the present, and the light to our path, shows us where our feet need to go. I love visuals, so this was really an enlightening statement for me.

We may be going through life sometimes “blindly,” yet we should not fear those moments. We should instead put our full trust in God, to not try to humanly rationalize the situation, fully trust Him, and allow Him to guide our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). We need wisdom to make it to the Kingdom of God. Our paths are full of tripping hazards. If we trip, let’s just do what my grandfather does. Get back up, wipe off the dust, make sure nothing is broken, and slowly get back on the path.