Cherokee Indian Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him deep 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 sun shine 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 animals must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blows the grass and trees, and even swayed the boy a time or two, 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 Him.

Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

I do not know the author of this article or even if the legend is true, but it resonates with me and I wanted to share it with you, as well. God is all around us. He sees us at our best and He sees us at our worst. We cannot see His person, but we should know He's there and He loves us and wants to help us.

(Story by Anonymous)