Life is a journey. At times it can be very sweet, but there are also times where it is bitter. In those tough times, we can often feel alone, and sometimes even abandoned. The little boy in the story below was certainly feeling this way.
But what he discovers is an important reminder for all of us!
A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sunshine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.
The wind blew the grass and earth and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to God.
Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean God is not there!
"For we walk by faith, not by sight!" 2 Corinthians 5:7