Blindsided Series - Post One
Brenda Harris
Blindsided
Definition of blindside
transitive verb
1: to hit unexpectedly from or as if from the blind side
2: to surprise unpleasantly
If you have ever been in a car accident that caught you off guard, you may have used the word “blindsided” to describe the event to other people. The entire incident took you so by surprise that there wasn’t even time to brace yourself for the impact coming straight for you. You were obeying the law, driving the speed limit and the next thing you knew your air bags deployed, glass was shattered, there was a horrible crunching noise and your car became undrivable. Thankfully your body was unharmed, but your vehicle was a mess. As you surveyed your surroundings, your body’s emotions caught up with your brain and instantaneously your legs began to feel like Jell-O. You were all shaky inside when you realized the seriousness of the situation and fully understood what had just occurred.
A car accident can be a good analogy for how we may feel when something unexpected unfolds in our life. In a moment, life can take very unforeseen turns. When this happens glass shatters and bad crunching noises are heard. As we push back the deployed air bags and survey the damage, we feel all shaky inside.
Some car accidents leave us unharmed while others leave permanent injuries. Both are shocking but some have more long-lasting effects than others.
In our most vulnerable and unexpected moments of feeling blindsided, there is hope. If we call upon the Lord, He will empower us to respond in ways we could never have believed possible.
Psalm 145:17-18 says this,
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.”
For those of us who have a relationship with Christ, we have the privilege of calling upon Him at any time for help and He will draw near to us. I didn’t see my blindsided moment coming, but God did. As I silently cried out to Him for help, He filled me with His presence. He was there to overshadow me and when I finally spoke, His words were my words, my actions were His actions. Perhaps you have been blindsided and are still picking up the shattered pieces that lay around trying to make sense of what happened. In your shock and surprise, turn toward God and not away from Him. Allow Him to enter your pain and unexpected. He will meet you, comfort you and give you His peace if you call upon Him. He is not far away as we may think, but rather very near. Call upon Him and enter into a calm that cannot be explained except for His presence. He will steady and sustain you.