It was a cold winter day, much like the days the Northeast is experiencing right now. The kind of day where the air hurts your face, where you can see your breath materialize into a little, frozen cloud before disappearing. The kind of day where you fear you may literally freeze to death just walking from the car to your destination. In the interest of giving my sister some "me" time and getting the kids out of the house, I made plans to take my four-year-old niece and her little friend to the please touch museum. Not being a mom myself, I sometimes forget to account for all the things I will need to carry. At the museum, this included easily accessible tissues, because in cold weather everything freezes but the incessant running nose, hand wipes because we all know, "please touch" really means, "please spread your communicable diseases," water bottles, and the map. I didn't have enough hands to hold onto the littles and lead them through the maze of people the way I would want to.
So the solution was, they held each other's hands and walked in front of me. From behind, I could see the whole picture: the kids, where we were headed, and the best route to get there. They couldn't see me. They had to watch where they were walking, but they could hear my voice. I would tell them when to wait, when to turn, and which way to go. As long as they followed my commands, we all safely made it to our next fun filled (germ- covered) exhibit. Occasionally, excitement would get the best of them when they would catch a glimpse of something fascinating, and they would run ahead, often ending up at the exit, instead of the entrance of the exhibit. As long as they listened to my voice, they were on the right path.
Isaiah 30:21 says, " And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it, " when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
I use to struggle with this verse. It bothered me that God was behind me telling me which way to go. I wanted him to be in front of me. I want to see him. I want him to take the first steps, to turn first in case there is something hard or scary in my path. After all, isn't that how he can protect me and my heart? But this past year, I have been learning a lot about what it means to step out in faith. I can't look backward. I need to look forward to where God is leading me, but that doesn't mean he isn't there. I don't need to see the whole route, I just need to follow each step in faith. I don't need to worry about what is after each turn because he isn't just holding the map and seeing the big picture, he made the map and he has my best interests at heart. There may be something hard or scary on my path, but it doesn't mean that is the wrong way. God has also already gone before me. Pondering this verse made brought to mind the trip to the museum, and I gained a new understanding of what God is teaching me.
For Christmas, my sister gave me a beautiful necklace. It is a compass and on the back, it is engraved with Isaiah 30:21. It is to remind me that in 2018, I only need to follow his voice. He knows the direction I should go. He knows what way you should go too. So stop looking backward, that is when you bump into things that trip you up. Look forward, and take one step at a time. And when I am looking backward, help a girl out and remind me to look forward too. Happy New Year. Love and prayers.
