Living as God Created

A baby camel asked his mother, “Why do we have such large hooves on our feet?”

She turned to him. “God made us that way for a very special reason,” and she added her explanation. “The big hooves are to keep us from sinking into the sand.”

“Oh! So why do we have long eyelashes?”

“It’s to protect our eyes from the blowing sand.”

“Why the big humps?”

“That’s to store fat so that we have enough energy to go long distances in the hot desert!”

“I see!” the baby camel said as he stretched his neck and looked up at his mother. “The big hooves are to keep from sinking into the sand, the long eyelashes are to keep the sand out of our eyes, and the humps are to store energy to travel long distances…then what are we doing in this cage in the middle of a zoo?”

Like the camel, I had asked the same kind of questions. When a retinal disease robbed my eyesight at age 31, I initially locked myself in a cage of self-pity and bitterness.

Weary from pacing within that gloomy cage, something nudged me to see beyond my circumstance and unfortunate plight.

Heavens! What was I thinking? Those bars were self-imposed. But worst of all, I’d supported them with the cold metal of my negative attitude.

Eventually, eagerness to leave my stuffy cell of discontent prompted me to open my ears to hear a reassuring whisper-God had created me for much more.

Itching to break free, I broke down those bars and stepped out into the desert of life. I trudged through the heat with determination and drive, enduring the blistering sun with perseverance and tenacity. I quenched my thirst with fresh inspiration and encouragement. And the hooves of confidence kept me from sinking into the sand of insecurity.

Thinking ahead, I made sure I’d stored a healthy supply of God’s wisdom and positive attitude to obey His instructions.

I packed this truth to carry me through the long haul: “…we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:10).

Goodness gracious. Blind or not, each time I reached another point in my journey, no doubt already prepared by God, my eyes saw a whole new world with opportunities to make a difference. Best of all, I was delighted with the affirmation that God indeed had created me for much more!

Bars come in all sizes and shapes. Some are physical; others are emotional or even mental. But none are a match to God’s grace that fuels one’s determination to break them down. The effort is fulfilling and the results, liberating!

So, batting my long eyelashes to keep out the sand of discouragement, I challenge you: step back and peek at what bars limit you. Take a deep breath, break them down, and emerge into the freshness of God’s new life.