Cherokke Indians Youth's Rite of Passage

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Sitting on the stump... Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His dad takes him into the forest.. blindfolded... and leaves him.... alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night. and not take off the blind-fold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. 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.. Each lad must come into his own manhood. The boy was terrified... could hear all kinds of noise... Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth... and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically..never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man. Finally, after a horrific night... the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father sitting on the stump next to him...at watch the entire night. We are never alone. Even when we do not know it, our Father is protecting us... He is sitting on the stump beside us. All we have to do is reach out to Him.