Helen Part 2
While most of us cannot relate to what it’s like to lose our hearing and sight, many of us know what it feels like to lose something that feels essential to us. The immediate reaction is often to be angry and fight for control or for the life we once knew. In those moments, it can be hard to see what God is doing or hear His voice. But sometimes, God doesn’t lead us with his voice. Sometimes, like Anne Sullivan did for Helen, He leads us with His hand.
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
The Hebrew word for “takes hold” in this passage is ḥāzaq, which means “to strengthen” or “to make strong.” So often, when we lose something, when we feel like we are surrounded by darkness, we seek God to show us a way out, but more often than not, He chooses to first step into our present situation and strengthen us where we are at before He calls us forward. Nothing about Helen’s situation changed. She was blind and deaf for the rest of her life. What changed was her trust in her teacher. If Helen had given up or didn’t trust that Anne was helping her and had her best interest at heart, Anne’s presence would not have made a difference. This is B.E.A.U.T.Y. that is found in Helen Keller; she never gave up, and she courageously chose to learn and move forward, one step at a time. As a result, God used her in mighty ways.
As Helen herself so beautifully put it:
“They took away what should have been my eyes
(but I remembered Milton's Paradise).
They took away what should have been my ears,
(Beethoven came and wiped away my tears)
They took away what should have been my tongue,
(but I had talked with God when I was young)
He would not let them take away my soul, possessing that I still possess the whole.”
An illness took Helen’s voice and sight, but it could not take God’s destiny for her life. What the enemy intended to use to paralyze her, God used to help her reach the world, and he did this through an incredible teacher, which is why, for our next blog, we will be looking at the B.E.A.U.T.Y. of Anne Sullivan.