So yesterday, our family went hiking at a State Park that is just east of Cincinnati. It was a lot of fun. We barely made it off the trail before it got to be pitch black dark out – did I mention that between both families, we had 5 kids with us?! It was a blast. And I even got to learn about God from my oldest daughter while we were down by the water.
The hike was going really well. And then we saw the water down below. Of course we wanted to hike down to it. So descend we did! My oldest daughter held my hand as we managed to slip and slide down the steep path down to the water. As we approached the water, my lesson began.
My Daughter Taught Me This About God While Hiking
Have you ever been in a season of your life where you are fervently praying for something to happen? Something like a job opportunity, a house purchase, a big move across country, or something similar? I’m sure you have at one time or another. Or maybe it was about getting accepted into the right University or the right program you want to study in.
As we approached the water, I began to be reminded of this short, truth-packed verse: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” – Proverbs 19:21. We make all kinds of plans up in our minds. We make 5-year plans, 10-year plans, 1-week plans, and I think God chuckles when we do this. It’s good to plan ahead, but if we actually believe these plans are going to be what ends up happening, we’re fooling ourselves.
Now back to the hiking trip. We made it down to the water. The bank was filled with sharp rocks that needed to be handled with swift, light feet. My oldest daughter (she’ll be three in July – feel free to send money for her college!) was handling the rocky bank with grace and skill. But then she decided she wanted to get practically in the water. Well, she wanted to get as close as she could to the water so she could better see the fish inside.
As she approached her goal, she decided that my helping hand was no longer needed. Kids are funny like that. They can be headed into a situation where they desperately need a helping hand, yet they push it away. My little girl wanted to get closer. And closer. And closer. I knew that she was bound to fall on her face into the shallow water and onto a sharp rock. She didn’t care. She was focused.
Then I exclaimed loudly, so that everyone could hear, “I’m going to write a blog post about you, Kairea!” (If you’re wondering how to pronounce her name, it’s Ky-Ray-Uh.) Heck, I had options, you know. I could have used this instance in a class I teach, a sermon I preach, or a book I write. I’m sure that exclamation will have some variety, but it will probably be exclaimed again.
Then she cemented my threat into sure action to be taken. We decided to trek back up the steep path and continue on the trail. So both families are gathering all the kiddos and making our way up. My oldest daughter? She was upset at me trying to pick her up and take her up the steep path. She wanted to walk. So I put her down. I wanted her to see how her choice would work out. And within 10 seconds she was exclaiming, “Daddy, daddy!” With her hands up and her volume up, she wanted me to pick her up again.
I want to go this way. No. This way. Pick me up. Put me down. Pick me up. But I don’t want you to hold me like that. I don’t want you to carry me this way. I want to go the other way. No. The other way. No. This way.
Is This How God Feels?
I was talking with Sara, Toni, and Tim about this while we walked up the steep path. Is this how God feels with us? We ask God to pick us up and carry us through something. Then we want Him to put us down and let us handle it. Then we want Him to pick us up again. Then He begins to carry us into a new situation. We don’t like it. God, I want you to carry me, but I don’t want to go this way. I don’t want to do this. Put me down. Pick me up. Take me this way. No. That way.
God laughs. I’m sure of it. How can I be so sure? Because we’re so obnoxious.
Like my daughter, we all want to walk. Like my daughter, we all want to be carried. Like my daughter, we don’t know what we want. Yet we continue asking, pleading, and praying for what we think we need and want.
But what if God is willing to walk with us on the bank of the water. What if He is with us in the midst of the danger – the danger we may not even be aware of. What if He is guiding us on this path of life. Sure, we can go our own way. But His way is better. His way is an adventure.
So when we communicate with Him, when we pray to Him, what if we always said and desired this: “Your will be done!” My daughter taught me this about God while hiking. Well, she reminded me. And it was a good reminder. So thank you, sweetie. “Your will be done, God!”
Oh, you want me to love my neighbor? Okay.
Oh, you want me to help the hurting? Okay.
Oh, you want me to serve in your Church? Okay.
Hmm. Maybe His will is what we should desire!
In time, I, you, and my daughters will learn this. We all will. Because in the end His will is done with a period at the end and a new paragraph begun, “for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God'” – Romans 14:11.
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