It was summer and three of us camp counselors were leading a group of seventh grade campers on a two-night backpack in the Sierra Mountains.  As we finished dinner the first night, we realized one of our camper’s meds had not been packed.  It was a critical medication; two of us would need to leave that night and retrieve the medicine.

Flashlights in hand, we took off on our night hike.  About an hour and a half into the hike, though, my flashlight’s batteries ran out and it became almost impossible for me to see.  We continued, but I had to stay very close to my fellow hiker and peer over his shoulder so I could see where I was stepping, trying to avoid stumbling over roots and walking off the path.

The Bible is the light for the Christian’s path.  It shines brightly at our feet and helps us see which way to go, which decision to make, and how to live a life pleasing to God.  This world is filled with darkness and evil and the Bible is there to be our guiding light.  God’s Word helps us stay on track and keeps us from walking the wrong path or tripping over roots that try to pull us down. 

Although we shared the light the rest of the way, it made it much more difficult to rely on his light for me to get down.  Perhaps you have found yourself caught in that trap as well.  Instead of seeking God for answers and looking to Him and His Word, we only ask our friend for advice.  The problem is, sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don’t.  First and foremost, we must know what God directs us to do.  We will know that when we pray and read our Bible. 

The light worked best when pointed at our feet showing us one step at a time.  Once we took that first step, we could then easily see where to take the next step.  Don’t sit paralyzed waiting for all your answers before you trust the Lord.  Once you take a small step of faith towards Him, He can show you the next one.   His Word is the lamp at your feet and the light for your path. 

I'm the type of person who feels if I'm not doing something, I'm wasting my time. Prayer has been difficult for me at times because I feel it is getting in the way of me accomplishing something for the day. How wrong I am when I have this attitude! Prayer is not wasted hours but invested hours. Out of solitude comes strength...out of quiet comes peace...out of talking and listening to the Lord comes vision. This poem is a helpful reminder of what I am talking about.

I wasted an hour one morning beside a mountain stream, I seized a cloud from the sky above and fashioned myself a dream.
In the hush of the early twilight, far from the haunts of men, I wasted a summer evening, and fashioned my dream again.
Wasted? Perhaps. Folks say so who never have walked with God.
When lanes are purple with lilacs or yellow with goldenrod.
But I have found strength for my labors in that one short evening hour.
I have found joy and contentment; I have found peace and power.
My dreaming has left me a treasure, a hope that is strong and true.
From wasted hours I have built my life and found my faith anew. -Author Unknown

Discouragement is a common emotion to us and is one of the great enemies of the Christ-following experience. It is an enemy of personal drive and vision.  It is a cancer that will pull enthusiasm and joy right out of you.  But it is also a test, because how you respond to discouragement when things are not going well is one of the most important challenges that you will ever face as a person who loves and follows Jesus.

During the reign of King Saul, a prophet of God, Samuel, anointed young David as king.  Even before he served as king, the people of the kingdom immediately fell in love with David.  Everything he touched turned to gold.  He was victorious over one of Israel’s most feared enemies, Goliath.  When King Saul struggled with emotional issues, David was there to comfort him.  If there was ever a guy who was on a roll, it was David.  It appeared that nothing could go wrong for him.  Then, one by one, the tables turned. Look over this litany of loss on David’s part: 

• He lost his job.  He went from shepherd boy to acclaimed warrior to fugitive.
• He lost his popularity, status and income.
• He lost his wife when King Saul gave her to another man.
• He lost his mentor when Samuel died.
• He lost his best friend Jonathan.
• He lost his home.  The Bible tells us that he eventually ran to Gath, the land of Israel’s enemies.

After all that David went through, he ended up in the cave of Adullam.  He expected a palace but got a cave!  Devastating! 

Does a cave sound like a place you’ve visited before?  The Cave is where you go when all the props, crutches, and all that hold you up gives way; when suddenly, things don’t work out as you’ve envisioned.  Maybe you’ve lost a job, financial security, spouse, dream of family life, mentor, friend or health.  We’ve all been there.  The truth is, sooner or later, everybody logs some serious time in The Cave.

But, The Cave is where God does some of His best work.  God molds and shapes us in The Cave like nowhere else.  When you end up in The Cave, I encourage you to welcome it.  Why?  Because when all you’ve got is God, you quickly come to the realization, that He is enough.  Mother Teresa once said, “You’ll never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you’ve got.”  He is able to transform discouragement into encouragement. He transforms fear into confidence. He is able to bring new life out of the most desperate of circumstances.  Are you in The Cave?  Look for Jesus. 

I recently read a story about a business owner who constantly complained about the dirty windows of his competitor’s store – directly across the street from his own. Perhaps it was just his pet peeve, but the storeowner complained continually to other business owners in the community about how his competitor’s dirty windows were a disgrace to the community – and how it could reflect poorly on his own business.

Another local shopkeeper, tired of hearing the owner’s ongoing complaints, suggested that he set a good example and wash his own store windows. The storeowner took the shopkeeper’s advice and washed his own windows. The following day, the two met for coffee and the storeowner, remarked, “You were right. It worked! As soon as I washed my windows, my competitor must have washed their store windows also! This morning I noticed from my store that they were clean and shining!”

The storeowner had simply suffered from blurred vision. He judged his competitor wrongly! When he cleaned the windows of his own store, he was able to see that his competitor’s windows were also clean!

Sometimes, we look at others with blurred vision. We see things in other people’s lives that we don’t think are right or acceptable and find fault with them. We judge them. Sometimes, like the storeowner, we complain to others about the faults we think we see. But, too often when we find fault in others it is simply because our own vision is blurry. I know, for example, when I find fault in others it is often regarding issues I have in my own life. I find that I have a tendency to project real faults in myself – onto others – who most likely don’t have those faults at all. Jesus warns us not to judge others (Matthew 7:1) and addressed the issue saying, “...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

Today, when you are tempted to judge or complain about someone, take a moment first to see if it is only your own vision that is blurred.