Let Him Catch You.

I watched his little legs as he climbed up the incline. To him, the incline looked more like a mountain. To me, being four feet taller than him, it seemed really small. But as he stepped onto the grass to climb up the steep hill he looked back at me with a mischievous grin on his face. The sparkle in his little blue eyes told it all. He was on an adventure. And he wasn't at all scared. When he made it to the top he turned to look at me. And with the same daring smile on his face and twinkle in his eye he ran down the hill as fast as his legs would carry him. He made it almost to the bottom and then tripped, but I reached out my arms to catch him and twirled him around. When I set him back down, he giggled once and then repeated the whole scene. Every time he repeated the scene he almost tripped and fell. ANd he would've been hurt had I not been there to catch him. We did this about twenty times before he got bored and moved onto throwing his toy car as far as his little arms would let him.

I have spent my last five weeks with an adorable two-year-old boy. Looking into these beautiful blue eyes the past five weeks has been wonderful. And they have reminded me of so many important things. I used to be that daring too when I was a child. I used to look at the world that way too. It was one big adventure and I wasn't scared. And that's EXACTLY what God calls us to do in following Him.

So where does that spirit disappear to? I understand so much when I spend time with children why God tells us we must come as a child. How many times has God asked me to climb a hill and I have been terrified. I was scared that if I tripped he wouldn't reach out and catch me. But he always, ALWAYS does. He is always there for me.

We are going through a series at church right now called " In Search of a King". It is all about the life of David. But it isn't your typical study. We opened with how God never intended for Israel to have a king to rule over them. But they looked at the neighboring countries and wanted to be like the rest of the world. So they pushed and pushed until God gave them what they wanted. Out of this they were taught the lesson that no one is perfect and only God can be the kind of King they were demanding.

This week we discussed how David was an ordinary person. It was God working through him that made him look extraordinary. The sermon was about how God called David to be king but then left him in the pasture. It was there God taught him humility, patience, trust, etc... See, God had to prepare David for something better. He had to prepare David to realize that this whole kingship was about God's glory and not about his own.

And this series has convicted me so much. God has orchestrated my life so beautifully (and painfully in some ways) lately to teach me so many lessons. And it's incredible how two things that are virtually unrelated (the sermon series and my babysitting) can be weaved together so well to teach me all the lessons God wants me to learn. At first it seemed so odd to me, but now it makes perfect sense.

Being with this child has taught me how life is an adventure. When we become a Christian we die to ourself and THANK GOD that He calls us to something unpredictable and BIG. It's beyond our human understanding. Sometimes what God does in our lives makes no sense. And it drives me mad sometimes. But then I realize that God wouldn't be God if I could explain everything about Him. If He were just like me, then why would I want to follow Him? Just look around you. I mean, the things I see God calling people to are really crazy sometimes. But, that's the point. God demands faith on our part. And when we step out and do something adventurous for His glory and not our own, something amazing always comes out of it!

Not only that, but God has completely shown me my lack of trust in him. He asked me to trust Him to catch me. And I didn't. I wanted to take care of myself. And I realize God has had me in this time in my life to remind me of some important things. I needed to prioritize differently. I needed to be reminded of the important things in life. I needed to trust Him. I needed to realize that He could see far more than I could. I am just like Israel demanding God give me a King when it is HIM he wants to give me.

And, so now as God has provided me this new job, I still want to remember the lessons he has burned into my heart. I want to climb up the hill and run back down as fast as I can, because I know He will catch me. But this time, I want to do things differently. I want to rely on God. This is God's adventure that He wants to work out through me. I just simply must step out in obedience.

ANd it really is silly now that I have gotten to the end that I never trusted Him in the first place. He has blown my mind with providing this amazing job. It's better than the last one. My God is so good.

May we live our Christian life like a child, with adventure twinkling in our eyes and a great smile on our face. Because we KNOW God is about to do something amazing. Whatever it is. Even if it doesn't make sense. He is always waiting to blow our minds. Because that is just who He is!