I sat on my unmade bed, wrinkled tissue in hand. And with gloom around me, I sighed my misfortune. Blindness at 31 robbed my passion of caring for my little boys and from being a happy wife.

But after diligent prayer, that all changed when Christ calmed my crisis. He whispered his Promises. He gave me His reassurance. And He said that His Word would be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105).

And His Word indeed shone a beautiful light of hope into my blindness. And eventually, transformed my pitiful life to passion-filled days.

They’re filled with adventures. They include shopping trips to the mall with friends.

And one of them loves bargains as much as I do. As we walk between clothes racks, she knows to guide me and I know the three things I need to do: remain close enough to hold on to her arm, trust she will guide me correctly, and obey when she indicates to turn a certain direction to avoid smashing into obstacles.

That’s what blind people must do.

But even if you have eyesight, you might be just like me–blind to what tomorrow holds.

We can’t see into the future. We can’t see what waits at the turn of the next corner. We all walk blindly into our tomorrows.

But sadly, when we walk foolishly on our own, trusting in our decisions, slam! We hit the wall of disappointment and heartache.

Stunned, we wonder what happened. The answer is simple; we failed to follow these three steps while walking on the rough terrain of life:

1. Remain close to God. Close enough to be under His shadow and know His Word, to hear His guidance and to listen to His warnings. “Show me favor, God, show me favor; for in you I have taken refuge. Yes, I will find refuge in the shadow of your wings until the storms have passed.” (Psalm 57:2-3)
2. Trust that He will guide us in the correct path. Rather than our own wisdom or insight, we trust that He knows the best way, the safest route and the destination that will bring rewards rather than regrets. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
3. Obey His every instruction. Be courageous when afraid. Be bold when feeling doubtful. Be certain when unsure. “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land…” (Isaiah 1:19)

Who’s leading your steps these days?

Modified from the original blog post, “Three Steps to Avoid Disappointment and Heartache.” 

For more information on Janet Perez Eckles click here.