Hold my hand

We were out walking and climbing on some rocks last week south of Fort Worth, TX last week.  No – this picture is not us and the rocks weren’t that big….although that would have been fun!! Here we were – 4 kids with wide eyes, ready to jump, slide, and get really wet in the river running through the huge boulders.  My older kids took off with confidence, but the younger two were a bit more cautious.  I let my 4 year old experiment a bit and I could sense there was some panic in her. She tried to take a step, but she looked down and soon wanted me to hold her hand again.  She eventually realized she could do it without falling, and she gained some serious confidence!!  My 2 year old didn’t even want to climb up or walk on the rocks, until she had my hand grasped tightly in mine.   She only wanted to walk with my help. As simple as this is, I couldn’t help but realize God was teaching me a very important lesson that day.  Each of the ways in which my kids reacted to the rocks,  was a clear picture of how I often react to life. Sometimes I just jump right in – not really sure of the danger or blessings….I just jump all in. Sometimes I experiment a little bit to see the level of danger. I may try it on my own, and soon realize that I really do need help! But how I WANT to live my life is more like my 2 year old.  I want to know that I can’t make it through this life without God’s help in holding my hand.  Being aware that He can and will guide me steps  – every step.  Now, that doesn’t mean I won’t ever slip, or even fall, but it does mean that when I do, His hand will be there holding me.  Helping me.  Guiding me. I wonder why I often still try to do “life” without fully holding on to Him?  How many times do I need to learn my lessons before changing how I operate?  That’s a question and a blog for another day. But for now – I will do my best to cling to HIS hand and HIS ways, and not try to do things on my own!!   The “rocks” we are climbing on and walking on can be a challenge, but also a huge blessing as long as we are holding the hand of the ONE who knows the twists and turns of the rocks better than we ever will.    You with me?!? –Rachel]]>