The colorful lights of the amusement park are glowing and the festive music is playing. A toddler is excitedly tugging on daddy’s hand, “Hurry Daddy, we have to get in line! We don’t want to miss the ride! Come on, Daddy! Hurry up! This way!” The toddler pulls extra hard, attempting to increase the father’s pace.
Another child is tugging in the opposite direction of the exit gate. The wise, patient father is not budging. The tugging increases and so the sour mood of the child. Daddy waits for the toddler to come to the point of exhaustion and accept the father’s decision.
This was the picture in my mind’s eye during my prayer time last week.
I often find myself impatiently or angrily tugging at The hand of My Heavenly Father. Wanting to go faster, breaking His speed limit. Or wanting to go in a different direction than He obviously intends.
How often in life do I try to lead my wise and loving Father God? How often am I pulling and tugging Him in a direction that I am sure will bring delight to all! Or attempt to hurry Him along to do good things? I am always so sure that my well thought out plan will lead to healing of emotion, relationships or physical health. “The possibilities are endless if we go in this direction, Father! Right now, hurry! Don’t you see? Hurry up! Surely you see the good that could happen!”
The tugging and pulling only robs me of rest and peace. Unknowingly, the insistent tugging is an attempt to place me in His leadership role.
In hind sight, the frantic pulling conjures up misdirected energy and attitudes that grow me into a state of panic, fear, disappointment, disobedience or disillusionment.
I like to think that I respect and often recognize God’s pace, His rhythm, His timing, His ways; ultimately His leading. My Heart’s desire is to learn how to follow Him with contentment, no matter what the circumstances. I want to learn how to sit and wait when my Father is standing still. And I do not want to doubt His goodness, His intent or timing.
At a quick count there are 58 Bible verses about following God and His ways. And yet as His disciple, a Christ follower, my desire to lead Him often trumps my following.
I suppose it simply boils down to trust. The definition of trust in the Webster dictionary is: reliance on the integrity, justice ect of a person.
So Christian, Follower of Christ, Child of God I challenge you and myself to recognize when we are insistently tugging at the hands of our Father God.
Instead of pulling, tugging and working yourself into a frenzy; stop, sit in your father’s lap and tell Him about the ride you want to go on. Tell Him what you are afraid will or won’t happen, what you will miss, what others may miss. Talk about the ride! Especially the one you so desperately want to go on or perhaps the one that is making you sick and you want to get off. He wants to hear your dreams, desires and heartaches.
At one point, you made the decision to follow those loving hands for salvation. Decide today to keep holding on and follow those same, strong, capable hands one step, one minute, one decision at a time, today. Hold on tight if you need, no harm done. Just don’t let go. Eventually you may find yourself not tugging but contently following as He gently leads you, hand in hand.
He knows if you are tall enough, old enough for the ride you desire. He knows if it would be too much and make you sick. He knows if the ride you so desire will only lead to danger. He knows what He wants to reveal about Himself to you or those around you. And He knows how fast the ride should be and the right time to get on or get off.
Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
Lynn Jackson
Co-Founder
Thrive Leadership Foundation
Recent Comments