I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16 (NIV)

One day, my writing teacher, Maureen Jennings, told us to find a partner and each take turns being blindfolded. For five minutes, the other person was to guide us through Maureen’s house, prompting us with voice and hands.The blindfolded were not to make any suggestions or give orders. After five minutes, we switched roles.

I learned 3 things:
1) To hear the voice of my guide, I needed to lean in. When I didn’t lean into her, bending close to hear her words, her voice was lost in the volume of all the other voices guiding my classmates.
2) To really listen to, and obey, my guide’s instructions, I had to turn off the ticker tape of thoughts, words and sentences running in my head.
3) I had to trust my guide to get me back to my seat safely. My guide could see and therefore guide me around obstacles: furniture and my other classmates. I could not do it on my own.

Almighty God speaks to you. He touches you gently, guiding you on paths that He alone makes smooth. So, lean in, turn off that ticker tape and trust. That’s all you can do. Let God do the rest.