With God as My Walking Stick

Tactile paving is my nemesis. Those yellow plates of bumps at the edge of a crosswalk or sidewalk were created to alert visually impaired people of an upcoming hazard, like a ramp or bicycle lane. I appreciate that. I’m so glad someone invented bumps that help, but for me, those bumps are a hazard!

I wobble around with a cane and a leg brace resembling a toddler more than I’d like. While I’m in the house, I usually walk without my cane. If I get tippy, there’s always a chair, table, or wall nearby to grab. We have smooth floors so that the foot that drags is less likely to catch on something. Inside the house, I feel safe. But outside, that’s different. Outside, there are all kinds of things I must think about, even if I don’t want to: uneven sidewalk edges, loose gravel, curbs, slopes, running children, and the distance to the next bench or place to rest. I miss the good ol’ days of walking without thinking about walking.

I was leaving a coffee date with my girlfriends the first time I fell outside. I only had to walk a few steps from the coffee shop to my car, but in between was a plate of tactile paving. Those yellow bumps reached out and grabbed my gimpy foot. Ok, they didn’t need to reach, my foot drags on its own. On that day, it dragged and caught one of the bumps, and down I went. My cane (which I wasn’t holding tightly) flew to the left, my journal flew to the right, and my hands took the brunt of the fall. I ended up with a few minor scrapes and a seriously bruised ego.

 I learned a lesson that day: my cane is my friend, hold tightly.

Now, when I come to a plate of tactile paving, I step a little more carefully and grip my cane a little more tightly. The only thing that might prevent a fall if I trip is my cane, which makes it valuable to me. It’s a boring, generic black tube of aluminum—nothing special except that it gives me the freedom to walk, especially where there are no railings or other solid structures to hold on to. That makes my cane precious to me. I don’t begrudge it; I appreciate it.

I thought about my cane recently when I read Jeremiah 1:11-12. The way it’s phrased in The Message tickled me:

God’s Message came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
    I said, “A walking stick—that’s all.”
And God said, “Good eyes! I’m sticking with you.
    I’ll make every word I give you come true.”

If I met Jeremiah, I wouldn’t be surprised to find he has a dry sense of humor. “What do you see?” . . . “A stick.” He spoke the truth, and that’s all. I imagine he might have thought, “It’s a stick. What’s so special about that?” Maybe he rolled his eyes. But he didn’t sass God. He just said exactly what he observed and kept his opinions to himself.

And God ran with it.

I think God might have elaborated like this: Yep, it’s a stick alright. And what are sticks good for? Walking! They keep you steady on your feet. And goodness, how far you can go with a little help from a walking stick.  Oh, and by the way, I’m gonna be your walking stick. I’ll hold you up when you stumble a bit. I’ll give you the strength to walk a little farther. That way, you can take my message far and wide. Yes, sir-ee, with me, you’ll succeed. So hold on tight.

As I’ve been reading Jeremiah, I’ve been thinking about this walking stick illustration. Jeremiah had a tough message, and it wasn’t well received. How tightly he must have held onto God, his walking stick, his guide, and his strength.

When I see a yellow plate of tactile paving ahead, I grip my cane a bit tighter, and I thank God for the ability to walk, the ability he gave me. But now, with God’s words to Jeremiah echoing in my mind, “I’m sticking with you,” I think I’ll watch for tactile paving as a reminder of God’s presence with me. He’s sticking with, always.

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