The Disappointment That Changed My Life

by | May 19, 2024 | Guide Dog Tales

 

 

Hello friend, today I have a video and a devotion for you. First the video: Why I chose a Guide Dog. Watch here.

 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV

“Why God? Why did You allow this to happen?” I could scream now that I was safe in my house. Sobs began as I demanded my answer.

Minutes before, I had searched desperately for the curb, unaware I was in the middle of the street. No present danger existed on the deserted streets. When I discovered I was on the wrong side going in the opposite direction, fear overwhelmed me. My own neighborhood, void of sidewalks, seemed foreign.

I momentarily considered becoming a hermit. A safe place for a legally blind woman was in her house, only venturing out on the arm of my husband. I loved my walks too much to abandon them. Besides, they were the only independence I possessed.

I frantically googled for a device or app. Today’s technology had to offer something for the visually impaired besides a white cane. I found several expensive items, but none of them could guarantee my safety. They couldn’t say, “Carolyn, please walk around this parked car, and return to the curb at the beep.”

After I thought I had gained my composure, I called my friend, Gail. I tried to explain the afternoon’s events, but my throat thickened. My weeping struck Gail’s heart.

“Have you considered a guide dog?”

My shaky voice responded, “A guide dog won’t work for me. I don’t work outside the house, and you have to train with them for six months away from home.”

Hours after our conversation, her idea took root. My mobility instructor had never been an advocate for guide dogs. I had heard many myths, but a phone call to a blind friend deemed those stories as fables.

Phyllis had a guide dog several years earlier. She shared humorous stories about her life with her dog. She also reminded me that she never worked outside the home either. She recommended the school she attended, Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB).

I found their website. The training was for three weeks. It was in New York, and it involved a day trip into Manhattan. Not thrilled about either of those, but by this point, I wanted a dog. And nine months later, I was at Guiding Eyes meeting an adorable black lab.

One of the worst days of my life turned out to be one of the best. The day I began my journey to freedom. We cannot fathom the lofty thoughts and ways of God. My disappointment was God’s appointment. I temporarily lost faith in God that afternoon, but I gained insight into His marvelous plans.

Friend, ask God to reveal His purpose for the disappointments in your life today. God leads us through life’s let-downs, but the Lord has a better plan. Trust Him to reveal it.

Lord, forgive us when we complain because we fail to comprehend Your plans and purposes. Remind us that You always have Your best in store for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.