Do you trust Me?

So, there I am, near death. Gasping for breath, spine numbing, eyes blurring and then I see it. The park! I was almost there. Now you may say, "Wow, you're crazy pathetic and I'm never speaking to you again." You try pushing two kids in a double stroller up a 70 degree angled sidewalk on a cold and windy day! Go on. I dare you- I DOUBLE DOG dare you.

So I finally get to the park and the girls play a bit (We stay there for a whole ten minutes before Izzy gets cold and wants to go home- I was feeling the same) and then we start to head back home.
 

            To get home you have to decline that hellish sidewalk and then cross over Austin Bluffs- which is sometimes a busy street, but really not enough to worry about. After we cross the street and are safely on the sidewalk, Izzy says, "Bethany, [in her oh-so-adorable baby girl voice], you wouldn't let me get hit by a car, right?"  ...I was stunned. Of course not! I stopped the stroller and got down to her level and took her sweet little hands, "Isabel, I would never ever let you get hit by a car. I would never let anything happen to you." She still looked a little unconvinced, "I promise. I pinky promise. Do you trust me?" She nodded her head. "And hey guess what?" She looked at me, "What?"   I smiled, "I love you."           Doesn't this just remind you of God? Not that I am in any way comparing myself to God. But it's like when we are "baby" Christians, God pushes us in a stroller- He buckles us into the seat and tells us to stay put while He guides our stroller over the sometimes scary street of life. The stroller is our vehicle to get us to where we need to be.
          With a baby we buckle, harness, and lock to make sure that there is no possible way for them to get hurt. As children get older, we let them get out of the stroller for small periods of time but still have rules, and boundaries set up for safety- Although much less intense. Maybe they scratch their knee from falling on the sidewalk or stub their toe- but it's nothing they can't bounce back easily from.  

          As we get a little older or more mature, God allows us to walk beside Him, sometimes He even lets us push the stoller saying, "This decision is up to you, Beloved." So we can see how it feels- guiding ourselves along the path, with Him giving us the directions (Think GPS). But at some point in our lives He decides that we are mature enough to push the stroller ourselves- often containing other precious children of God inside. We mature and grow out of having to be told exactly what to do, when to do it and where to go. He allows us freedom. Isn't that what He came for? As children (Or new Christians), He needs to place tons of rules around us to keep us safe- But eventually they turn into second nature and He trusts us with ourselves- Not the world around us, or the situations or other people. Just me. Just you. He trusts us! And then we have to trust Him with everything else. And at the times of fear and doubt, God looks us in the eyes, takes us by the hands and tells us everything will be OK. Regardless of the situation or how badly we mess up, He still knows the end and He promises us that it will be wonderful. Sometimes He asks, "Do you trust Me?" And we nod our heads.  He looks us in the eyes and says, "I love You."

I'm so glad that I have someone I can Trust- Who trusts me too. What a Glorious God we have. What a Wonder.