Future Reflections Spring 1999, Vol. 18 No. 1

White Canes and Bible Verses

Editor’s Note: I found the following item in a recent edition of Advocacy in Action, the newsletter of our Ohio NFB Parents Division. Crystal McClain is the President of the affiliate, and the editor of the newsletter. Crystal was intrigued by an unusual example of enlightened attitudes about blindness that she discovered tucked away in a book of devotions. Such little gems are exciting to discover because they confirm that we are making progress; our message about the capacities of the blind is getting out to the public, in sometimes very unexpected ways and places. One doesn’t have to be religious or a Christian to appreciate the positive message about blindness conveyed by this devotion. Here it is as Crystal shared it with the Advocacy readers:

Well Look What I Found

While I was looking for the perfect devotion to give at a monthly United Methodist Women meeting, I came across an article in my sixteen-year-old daughter’s book One Year Book of Youth Devotions by Josh McDowell. I opened the book to the middle and right there on page 187, the July 5th devotion, was the article listed below. Have a look and see what you think of this. I liked it!

July 5th White Cane

Have you ever seen a person who is blind walking down the street? How did that person know where to go, when to stop, and when to turn? Many blind people use a white cane.

A white cane can become an amazing tool in the hands of a man or woman (or child) who knows how to use one. Some people who are blind can walk as well as, and as quickly as, someone can with perfect eyesight because they’ve mastered the use of the white cane. The sight-impaired person can tell by the way the cane bounces whether he’s on a sidewalk or grass or a path. The sound of the cane’s tapping against the ground changes when the person approaches large objects like a wall or a building. The sound of the cane announces a sudden drop-off like a curb, or even a small obstacle, like a tricycle or a roller skate.

Using a white cane to find your way is kind of like using God’s Word. God’s Word warns us of things that can trip us up or hurt us, just as a cane warns a blind person of obstacles in his or her path.

Of course, you don’t carry a Bible with you all the time, do you? And sometimes there’s just no time to thumb through the Bible looking for answers, right? That’s why it is so important to memorize God’s Word. When you memorize a verse of the bible, it’s always available to you; you’re never caught without the tools you need to make a right choice; and it’s a lot easier to go the right way without hesitating or stumbling.

So why not start—one verse at a time—to hide God’s Word in your heart and mind so that it can guide you, even in the dark? Make the following verse your motto: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NIV) After all, a white cane isn’t much help if it’s left at home, right?

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