I’ll never forget a beautiful sunshiny day when the Lord taught me a very precious lesson on being spiritually handicapped.
We were on vacation and had taken our daughters to the beach. I don’t believe anything speaks to me about the majesty of God like the ocean. Sitting there I felt so close to God; watching the waves come in with a roaring white splash and then meekly retreating back to sea. They obeyed God’s command to come this far, but no further. I closed my eyes and listened to the mighty roar and the sound of my children’s laughter accompanied by the cries of the sea gulls overhead.
When I opened my eyes, I noticed a small boy walking out into the waves with his little hands stretched out before him and his face turned up to the sun. I could tell by watching him that he was physically handicapped in some way, but I wasn’t sure how. There was a nice-looking young man with the child watching him very carefully. He allowed the boy, however, to walk into the waves and be knocked down. He would then pick him up, give him a big hug, and sit him back down in the sand.
After this the small boy would stand, stretch his hands out to the ocean, turn his face up to the sun, and walk right back into the waves again.
I was fascinated watching the child when the young man placed him on his shoulders and ran up and down the beach. Having noticed my interest in the child, he sat down to talk with me for a moment as he came back to get their towels. I was amazed to discover that this little one was both blind and deaf from birth. The young man was his therapist and was training him to use his other senses. He could feel the power and vibrations of the ocean and the warmth of the sun on his face. This explained his outstretched hands and upturned face to the sun.
This precious face, lifted to the sun, lifted my faith. I thought, “What a marvelous illustration of God’s love and my faith in Him!” So many times I feel I have been knocked down by the waves of this world, but I know that if I’ll lift my hands in faith and my face to the “Son”, he will pick me up in his arms, give me a big hug, and set me on my feet again.
Praise the Lord for the little lessons in life that he teaches us each and every day. So long as we are watchful, He will be faithful to show us many things day by day, moment by moment, to build our faith.
