Driving Blind

An Analogy for Christian Living

          My husband has a nephew who, as a result of an accident, became blind in young adulthood. This injury happened after Jay* had learned to drive. A few years after the accident Jay and his father were out at my in-laws farm. It was a hay day and Jay went along to feel like part of the action. We came to a point in the day's operation when I was not of much use throwing the bales onto the trailer. I had strength limitations that the men did not suffer from. I could only set the bales two to three layers high. The men, however, can throw bales up several layers high. (The highest load I can remember was seven-high, but I digress.)

          Since I could not throw the bales, someone suggested that I drive the truck that pulled the trailer. That would have been a great idea . . . if I had known how to drive a manual transmission vehicle. After some good-natured teasing at my expense someone joked, “It's too bad Jay can't drive. He knew how to drive a stick.”

          Jay's reply was serious, “I still know how to drive.” I told Jay that he could probably drive the truck better than I could even without the use of his eyes. That's how the idea came about.

          Jay and I worked in tandem to drive the truck (much to the consternation of Jay's father). Jay sat behind the wheel looking like the cat that got the canary. He was ready. And oddly, I was not nervous either. I had faith in Jay, and Jay had faith in me. Somehow it worked! I gave Jay detailed directions about speed, braking, and steering. Jay obeyed my directions as well as he could have and better than most of the workers expected.

          Riding in the truck with Jay has become a legendary memory to me. I was tremendously proud of both him and myself that day. I was pleased that I spoke in a way to direct Jay's path. And, I was astounded that a blind man could drive a truck pulling a hay trailer with such ease. 

           Directing Jay's driving is a good metaphor for how we ought to place our faith in the Lord. All of us Christians are driving blind to some extent. We generally know what we want to accomplish, but we don't know the best way to steer ourselves to get there. Happily, my metaphor is flawed. Unlike me, God can see the whole picture. He will plainly guide us if we trust in Him. He knows that if we heed his warnings and directions that we will stay on the right path. But, if we disregard his cautions we might end up stuck in a rut.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

*not his real name

By: Bethany Woods, Author at Seeds of Promise, Harvest of Hope blog