CHEROKEE LEGEND
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump throughout the 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 will be a man.
He has not heard of the experience of the other boys who came before him and endured this right of passage. Every male Cherokee youth must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe a warrior from a hostile tribe will do him
harm.
The wind blew ferociously. Wild animals howled. The Earth beneath his feet erupted and shook the stump where he sat. Yet, he stayed the course.
Finally, after an interminable night of fear and darkness the sun appeared through his blindfold. He untied the knot at the back of his neck and removed the cloth covering his eyes. It was then he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.
He
had not been alone. His father sat at watch, beside him the entire night.
Silently.
Motionlessly.
Protecting his son from harm.
And so it is with us. We are never alone. Father God watches over us, sitting by our side, seeing all, hearing all, like the ancient Indian warrior guarding his child - we are safe in the loving protection of our
Father.
