If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:9-10
I must’ve been no older than five or six. I held onto the handlebars of my little two-wheeler for dear life, glancing back at my dad as he pushed me down the center of our cul-de-sac. I was wobbly and unsure.
Sure enough, after a few practice runs, I looked back and saw my dad standing there where we had started with a proud grin on his face. It was a scary and thrilling moment. I rode on for a bit and then turned around and peddled back to him.
Now I am grown up and, inevitably, the time came that I didn’t need my dad anymore. But now I have my heavenly Father and I will never outgrow my need for Him. He guides me and never lets go.
Those first risks I took on a child’s bike were preparation for the more formidable adventures I have faced since. Now, instead of facing a scraped knee, the Lord and I face wild waves in a darkened sea, swinging rickety bridges, and flames leaping from the mouths of volcanoes. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
Funny how sometimes I’ll get through one of these adventures (we’ll just agree to call them that) and keep on going, forgetting to look back to see where my Father is headed, or if He’s still standing back there, waiting for me.
I can put my brain on auto-pilot in the morning, assuming all is status quo, not realizing I’m headed straight into a tornado.
I need to go back and grab my Father’s hand again. I can’t go through these adventures without Him and survive. Not well, anyway. There’s a lot He wants to teach me along the way, like how to love and forgive when I’m staring into the jaws of a crocodile, or how to trust and even have joy when I'm climbing a vertical rock.
And one fine day, I’ll sit down with my earthly dad and tell him about all the adventures the Lord and I had and what I learned. And I’ll thank him for trusting me with my first push.
Q: What great adventure are you and Lord having and what is He teaching you?
"There’s a lot He wants to teach me along the way, like how to love and forgive when I’m staring into the jaws of a crocodile, how to trust and even have joy when I'm climbing a vertical rock."
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! An ongoing process. Forgiveness and trust. Hmm, we've the same issues. Amazing.
What great adventure? Tack surrender on to that short list!
Thanks Dorci!
Ah! Surrender is a biggie. Like floating in the middle of a rip-tide. That's hard, especially for someone who's a control freak. Comes down to trust..and letting go of the fear. Thanks for stopping by, Garry. :)
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