youth's rite of Passage?

[lovelace]

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian> youth's rite of Passage?> > His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him> and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole 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 is a> MAN.> > He cannot tell the other boys of this experience,> because each lad 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 even some human might do him harm. The wind> blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never> removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!> > Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and> he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting> on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting> his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God> is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all> we have to do is reach out to Him. If you liked this story, pass it on. If> not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.> > Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God,> doesn't mean He is not there. 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.'