Bless My Mess: A Guide Dog Tale
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
Psalm 32:8 NKJV
Do you become frustrated living in these flawed bodies of flesh? I try to eat healthy, but something sweet comes across my path. Next thing I notice is a week of messed up eating habits. I am trying to live within my means, but I couldn’t resist that dazzling outfit. I started a new Bible study plan, but life got busy, and now I’m behind. I asked God to shut my mouth, but it slipped out today in a fit of rage. I intended to attend mid-week service, but I feel so tired. I was tithing regularly, but an enormous unexpected expense happened.
Do you see yourself in any of the above circumstances? God won’t bless our mess, but He will deliver us from it. Only when we sincerely want His help. Sometimes, God’s way isn’t the path we would choose for ourselves. But remember, our all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful God sees what we cannot. His eye guides us.
Iva and I hadn’t visited Gatlinburg for almost eight months, and I felt rusty on my directions. Iva knew her way around better than me. We had been to Starbucks daily, but today, we decided to find Walgreens and McDonalds, places we don’t frequent. That involved going beyond Starbucks and finding it again on our way back as a landmark. We found McDonalds, but Walgreens evaded us, hiding in plain sight. I use audio cues. Directly after leaving Starbucks, I hear a fountain and a place playing the same song repeatedly. When we came back, I never heard my cues. I also missed my Blind Square app when it announced my favorite stops. Traffic probably drowned them out.
It was taking longer than it should. Then Blind Square announced TGI Fridays, which meant we had already passed Starbucks.
Coaxing Iva to find her beloved Puppuccino place. Back and forth we strolled. I noticed Iva staring across the street. Then she took me to a crosswalk. Obediently, I crossed the street, and Iva had us right at our hotel driveway. Iva delivered her directionally-challenged mom out of her mess. Not the way I wanted. No, I was determined to locate Starbucks, but it was reassuring to know Iva knows where we are and where we should be. I still can’t explain why we miss Starbucks when we approach from the opposite direction, but we can all be confident that God, like Iva, delivers us out of our messes. Not the way we prefer, but in His own way and in His own time.
We must be willing to follow God’s lead. I could have refused to cross the street, but I figured Iva had a plan. I know, without any doubt, God has one. Instead of pacing back and forth through our messes, let’s take the hand of our heavenly Father. Follow His lead, right out of the mess.
Originally posted on August 12, 2020 @ 7:47 pm