In His Hands

Author: Joseph

Date: February 20, 2019

The cold weather had kept my toddler son inside most of the winter, but after adjusting to the climate for a few weeks I began to routinely take walks around the neighborhood with him. He would giddily laugh when his first steps hit the ground of the sidewalk pavement and reach up for my hand instinctively to have me walk beside him along the way. With his eyes fixed on the path before him, he would then rush ahead with a firm grip on my hand to explore the neighborhood. We would walk hand-in-hand along the path I know he was ready to take and I would help him when he encountered obstacles along the way.

I would hold both of this hands in mine and walk behind him while going up a high hill to ensure he would not fall. Up and down stairs, I would tell him that he is going either “up” or “down” so that he would be prepare himself for each step. I would show him the trees and the animals (mostly squirrels and birds) along the way, watching his eyes brighten with amazement as the animals he had only imagined in books were now alive before his eyes. His curiosity would also lead him to feel leaves, touch stones, and sometimes stop and stare at his reflection in a puddle. Each thing he encountered was something amazing.

Sometimes his curiosity would lead him towards trouble as well. During one of our walks, without thinking he stepped out into the road, excited about seeing a squirrel across the street. I held him back and warned him, “you have to be careful, cars drive on the road and can hit you.” He then looked at my eyes, searching for why I had held him back, but when he saw that I was loving him in doing so, he understood it was for his good. He then pointed towards the squirrel saying “da-ra” (his shortened form for “daramjui,” which is “squirrel” in Korean). I then affirmed what he saw and even watched the squirrel myself, explaining to him what the squirrel was doing. My son and I enjoyed watching the squirrel and we both felt loved and understood through that experience.

We are all like my son in God’s eyes. We become excited when we see the world around us and its beauty that comes from the One who created it. Only with God walking by our side will we truly understand what we see and what we interact with. God, just as if you compared me to my son, knows far beyond what we could imagine and is knowledgeable of the things in the world.

My son is also not capable of handling the journey of the walk alone as he is often led astray by distractions that come from his own excitement or by what he senses around him. By walking by my side my son gains the self-control that he needs to navigate the path with purpose and will avoid walking a path that was not meant for him. God also expects us to walk along a narrow path and gives us self-control by His Spirit to help us do so.

My son does not fully understand right and wrong and what is safe and what is dangerous. By staying by my side and heeding my voice, he can avoid many troubles for himself, including consequences that only I am knowledgeable of. He has little to no knowledge of things such as injuries, illnesses, or harmful intentions from animals or people – things that come from a world afflicted by sin. We are like my son in this way as well. Often we think that God makes rules and says things to us that don’t seem “fair” or that “spoil the fun,” when in reality only He knows the consequences of our disobedience to Him. I discipline my son to heed my voice and to follow after me because I want the best for him and know the right way he should go to live well. God also does the same for us.

"...let us walk with Him..."

When you walk with God, stay by His side, listen to His voice, and trust His guidance. He knows all the consequences of the path we walk, both good and bad. We never have any reason to worry about Him leading us in a path that won’t be good for us. God also gives us self-control and keeps us going on the path that He set for us if we are able to patiently and faithful remain with Him. The decisions we make always rest upon His guidance and the burden of us having to “find” our path is relieved. The journey is not always easy, but the Father wants the best for us and knows exactly what we should do. So let us walk with Him and live our lives with child-like faith.