My children have trusted me. Planned trips, surprise excursions, an occasional out-of-the-blue appearance at school for an afternoon of hooky, they each trusted me. They didn’t know where we were going. They didn’t care how we’d get there, nor where we’d get food, whether they had appropriate clothes. They simply trusted and embraced the adventures.
Then why can’t I dwell in the serenity of the unknown and enthusiastically embrace the journey when the path is not clear?
I stumble over the promise that my God thinks thoughts of peace over me, covers me with hope and a future … I waver over goodness and mercy following me today, and embracing all things working for my good…simply because the path is not clear. How do I stare past the experience of my own children trusting a very imperfect mother without hesitation, yet follow good and perfect Jesus who is faithful…
with a veiled trust?
Trust the Guide.
I saw it so clearly in the Rockies of Colorado, the beauty of God’s mastery painted in hues of muted color in the mountains, vibrant splatters in the woods.
We set out for a day on horseback: my son Connor, a cowboy and me.
Two of us had limited experience on horses.
Two of us had no exposure to the Rocky Mountains.
One of us knew the way.
My boy, the one they said may never talk, the one we questioned if he’d walk, the one I asked Jesus to keep him breathing when air seemed to be blocked from his lungs, the one I surrendered to Jesus to take from me because the pleading and prayer-fighting was just too much to bear. Yes that boy.
He taught me this that day on the mountain: Trust and follow the guide. He showed me through the articulation of action instead of questions, obedience instead of doubt. He postulated the role of leader in the simple act of listening to our guide and commandeered an animal 9-times his body weight.
We did not have a path. We didn’t know where we were going, nor how we would return. The animals didn’t either. But Conn led well.
He led well because he listened, obeyed and acted.
My son, the one born with a cognitive impairment, led like the greats of the Bible, the heroes that I read of in awestruck wonder. He followed the guide even when he did not see the path.
He listened. He acted. He obeyed.
There’s grace to be discovered in trusting the Guide.
Listen for His voice.
Act.
Obey.
By the way, there may be some gorgeous sights along the way. 😉
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30.21