Susan, a 33-year-old woman, was stricken blind because of a medical misdiagnosis. She was a beautiful young woman with a lot of ability, a lot of courage, a lot of confidence. But all of a sudden, her world was absolutely crashing around her. She became depressed, her husband who loved her very much, was an officer in the air force. He said, “Honey, we will fight this thing together and you will regain your confidence. You will become the successful, gung-ho person you have always been “ But she was slow in believing that.

Imagine the devastation she was feeling, you have everything going your way and then
suddenly you are completely blind and having to learn a whole new way of living. Her husband said, “I will drive you to your job every day and then I will pick you up in the evening.” It didn’t take him long to realize that simply was not working. The time involvement and the cost was
too prohibitive. One day he dared broach the subject, “Honey, let’s look at you riding the bus.” Susan got really upset, “You’re abandoning me!” He replied gently, “No, I’m not abandoning you,” then continued more strongly, “I know that you can do it and I will go with you, I’ll ride the bus with you for a couple of weeks and teach you everything you need to know to ride the bus by yourself.” For the next two weeks he rode with her and explained every minute detail,
why this noise was here, the steps she had to take there, and all such things.

Finally, the day came when Susan said, “I’m ready.” And she rode the bus by herself to and from work. When she got home, she was ecstatic. Her confidence had returned, and she had not had any difficulties at all. All week she rode the bus alone and each day her confidence grew. On Friday as she started to depart the bus the driver said to her, “You know I really envy you.” Susan turned her head toward the driver. Surely he can’t be talking to me she thought. The driver said, “Yes, I’m talking to you.” Susan asked, “Why on earth would you envy me?” He said, “Because of that wonderful bright young Officer who watches you board the bus every morning and watches you as you get off the bus each afternoon. When he leaves you each day he tips his hat and salutes you. It must be wonderful to have somebody looking after you like that.” Susan smiled.

This reminds me of God, though we cannot see him, we know he is watching over us. Looking after us. Cheering us on. Catching us when we stumble. Encouraging us. Teaching us how to be confident in Him. Giving us direction on how to live. We may have difficulties, heartbreak, and shattered dreams along the way, but how marvelous to know that the God of the Universe cares so much about each one of us.

I love this story; you may have heard it, or a version of it:

A minister had gotten aboard a train headed home. He sat next to a young lad, maybe fifteen years old, who seemed to be distressed. He spoke to the young man and said, “It’s nice to be going home, isn’t it?” and the young man replied, “Well sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.”

The minister then noticed he had been crying and said to him, “I don’t mean to intrude and if you don’t want to tell me what your problems are you don’t have to, but I am a minister and maybe I can help.” The young man answered, “Well, I do need to talk to somebody. A few months ago, in a fit of anger and self-pity, I ran away from home and I don’t know if it would be good for me to go home or not.” The minister said, “Why not?”

The youngster said, “I have done some things that are just wrong. I know it has hurt my dad and I’m not sure he will forgive me. I wrote him a letter and said I would be on this train and if he wants me back to just hang a rag in the tree close to the railroad
tracks where we live.” The
minister asked, “Will you be able to see the rag?” and the young man said, “Yes, but as we get closer, I can’t bare to look. I’m so afraid there won’t be a rag in the tree.”

The young man was weeping again. The minister said, “You just look away and I’ll watch for you.” As the train slowed down and started to come to a stop the minister said, “Okay it’s fine to look now.” When the young man looked out there was not only one rag in the tree it was flooded with rags clearly sending the message: “Welcome home son.”