Ever since my daughter started walking one of my favorite things is being able to hold her hand while we walk. Well, when she lets me; right now she is in the phase where she wants to do everything by herself and that includes walking. Sometimes I force her. I’m bigger than her, what’s she going to do?
One of the reasons I love it so much is because her hand is so small in mine and it reminds me of how much she needs me right now. It’s been that way with all of my children. Unfortunately, my sons are “too cool” to hold hands with them. I still get to put my arm around them and ruffle their hair, so I count that as the equivalent.
Our hand in God’s
Being able to do that with my children reminds me of how God does that for us. In Psalm 143:8 the writer expresses to God how much he needs and desires that closeness with God. He asks, “Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.” We get to be a reflection of that to our children. Even though what we offer is simply a shadow of the greater thing, we get to lead our children in the “way they should walk.”
All Ears, All Eyes
As parents, we need to be careful that we never discount or take for granted the responsibility we have in walking with our children. I love the way The Message puts it, saying, “If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you.” Our children are “all eyes and ears before us” so we need to approach them in a way that elicits trust and a desire to follow the road that we lead them down. When we do that, we are building a foundation for them to sing that desire to their Father in heaven.