Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Guest (Female): This is Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Here's our dear friend Joni with a lesson on leading the blind.

It happened the other day to my friend Carol. She and a neighbor went to the local mall and decided to have lunch at the food court. Now, if you have been to a food court in a busy mall, you know it's usually crowded. It's usually a noisy criss-cross of tables and chairs shoved this way and that.

Well, Carol and her neighbor carried their trays into this maze and they found a place to sit. While they were lunching, she noticed at a short distance, a blind woman making her way through the mall with a white cane. This blind woman seemed to walk with confidence as she slid her cane back and forth on the floor to guide her along.

But when she got to the area around the food court, she ran into a problem. The blind woman got diverted from her path by a couple of chairs that were carelessly pushed out into the corridor. She struck her cane against one chair, walked forward, accidentally nudged a table, then backed up a few steps. She cocked her head as if to listen for an echo to guide her. But to no avail, she turned and nudged another chair and then stopped.

Carol's neighbor was watching all this and sipping her soda, and she casually said, "Looks like that blind woman's in a little trouble." But that's all she did. With a little bit of concern and a little sadness, she just observed.

Now, Carol realized that no one in that food court near the blind woman seemed to be watching. Maybe they were ignoring the situation, and Carol found it hard to just observe. She also found it hard to believe that others weren't aware of the predicament. So, pushing her food aside, Carol jumped up and ran over. When she drew near the blind woman, she said in a soft voice, "Pardon me, may I help you with directions? Can I move some chairs for you?"

That's when the blind lady laughed and confessed, "Well, yes, it seems I have lost my way a bit here. I need to get back to the main corridor. Can you get me back on track?" "Great," Carol said, "Let me point you in the right direction." And she did just that.

I don't know how many people in that food court were watching, but if they were, they learned a lesson on how to help someone who's blind. Because if you see a disabled person struggling, there is nothing wrong with just asking if they need assistance.

God says in Isaiah chapter 42 verse 16, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light before them, and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do. I will not forsake them."

Now, true, God is talking about not just the physically blind here, but the spiritually blind. Yet the principle applies to either. And if God has a heart to guide the blind, if the Lord takes notice when they are in trouble or have a need, shouldn't we, God's image bearers, do the same? Of course.

And look, I realize not everyone is like my friend Carol. But there should be more people like her, especially Christians.

So friend, please, take Joni's words to heart, as I know you do. Ask God to show you who he wants you to come alongside and help. People like, well, like that blind woman that Joni saw in the shopping mall. Be an Isaiah 42:16 kind of Christian. And if you need more encouragement, go to JoniRadio.org where you'll find more of Joni's radio programs and the resources you need if you're wondering how to be a friend to someone with a disability. It's all about recognizing needs, moving beyond your fear, and then reaching out just as our Savior Jesus would. And hey, while you're there at JoniRadio.org, let us know how we can pray for you. God bless you today, friend, and thanks for listening.