Blind Faith

Late Sunday afternoon, I drove to the ranch all by myself--no kids, just me and my music.  The 2 1/2 hour trip was uneventful, even enjoyable.  Traffic was light. The expansive blue sky and rolling sandhills were awe-inspiring, as usual.  The golden cornfields, and acres of drooping sunflowers, swayed gently in the breeze, and herds of black Angus grazed contentedly in the distance.  No one cared that I sang along with the radio.  

I avoid making the trip to the ranch during wet or snowy weather, because the last eighteen miles of unpaved roads become nearly impassable then.  I don't like to drive those last few miles after dark, either, because it can be really, really dark out there, in the middle of nowhere, and I don't see well enough to drive safely on unfamiliar roads after dark.  There might be as many as eight ranch houses spread out along those last eighteen miles.  It's rare to meet any other vehicles on the narrow country roads, especially after dark.  But, Sunday was a beautiful late summer day; the sky was clear, and the sun had been shining brightly all afternoon.

The sun was just starting to set when I turned west onto the last, short, gravel stretch before I could turn one more time to follow that final narrow, winding road that would take me to the ranch.  Now, I have always been turned in my directions up there, probably because the roads turn and wind around so much. But I know that I turned west, because the sun was setting at the end of that straight stretch of road. 

I turned west, and immediately hit the brakes.  All I could see in front of me was the bug-spattered windshield.  I couldn't see ANYTHING on the other side of the windshield!  No road, no sky, no sun, just a bright, seemingly opaque, windshield. What was going on???

I rolled down the window and leaned out to see the empty road ahead.  The brillliant, orange sun was starting to set on the horizon, right at the end of the road.  That's when I realized that it was time for the fall equinox--the first day of fall was just a couple of days away.  That, and the spring equinox, are the only times when the sun rises and sets directly at the end of any east-west road.   

The rays from the dazzling sunset were shining directly onto my bug-covered windshield.  There had seemed to be an over-abundance of bugs ending their little lives on my windshield during this particular trip, and now those unfortunate bugs' remains were scattering the light of the setting sun so much that my poor, defective eyes could not see through the windshield! 

I knew better than to turn on the windshield wipers; that would make an even worse mess of those unfortunate bugs!  I briefly considered pulling over and waiting until the sun was fully set, but there really wasn't room to park safely on the side of the road, and I didn't want to drive the last couple of miles in the dark, anyway.  So, I prayed.  Then, I inched the vehicle forward a few feet before I stopped to lean out the window again.  The road was still deserted, both ahead of me and behind me.  So I inched forward again, watching the side of the road out my open window to make sure I kept Bill's over-sized SUV in the middle of the road.

It probably took me ten or fifteen minutes to navigate that short stretch of gravel road, praying all the way, starting and stopping every few feet to lean out the window and check for other vehicles on the road.  I knew I could turn north when I finally got to the mailboxes at the next intersection.  What a relief it was to be able to see through the windshield once again after I turned, when the setting sun could no longer interfere with my vision!

After this experience, I can truly understand the literal meaning of "blind faith." Because I couldn't see the road ahead of me, I had no choice but to trust God to get me to the intersection where I could turn away from that blinding sunset.  

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

We all have times in our lives when we can't see what lies ahead.  That's when we have to trust God to lead us where he wants us to go.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31: 8