The grassy field stretched before me, unresponsive to my dilemma. My autistic son Nick was lost. My only help was the dog leading me. I felt doubtful. Could he really find my son? He knew what he was doing, but I was fearful he could still be wrong. But, I didn’t know where to go. My only choice was to trust him. That felt very uncomfortable.
Really, Nick was not lost. We were training with his new service dog, practicing tracking and we continue to practice this as often as we can. Someone hides with Nick while John or I used his dog Red to find him. The search starts with the bold request, “Go find it!” Once on the scent, the dog pulls me behind him. As I run behind, quietness and trust are essential, otherwise I can prevent the dog from finding Nick. We practice this search and rescue again and again to prepare for the time Nick might really get lost. We learn to calmly follow even though we feel frantic.
Spiritually, I need to learn this when I doubt God’s leading in crisis situations. I tell Him my need. Then, like a distraught mother panicked over her lost child, I continue my frenzied shouting, complicating the process. In mistrust, I yank at the leash, pulling in the direction that seems right to me, but really takes me off the trail God intends.
In Isaiah 42:16 (NIV) God promises his people, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths. I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”
This promise stands with us when we find ourselves fearfully staring ahead at unfamiliar territory not knowing the way. God knows what He is doing. Just as our tracking dog has proven through always finding his boy during our practices, God’s leading is more reliable then my sense of direction. God sees the way to the end of the course and will lead us there.
Reflection question: What unfamiliar path may you be facing right now?
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