Side By Side

As I was finishing up my morning study, I glanced over to the left and took a look at a picture my wife took years ago. It was a photo of my boys and me walking hand-in-hand to school. It brought back great memories of all of us having casual conversations, telling jokes, and imparting words of wisdom before we arrived. One of the fondest memories is holding my children’s hands throughout our walk. With little hesitation, as we started our walk, my kids would jostle and race each other to see which ones would grab hold of my hand first. Often, they reached for my left hand. Because I have three kids, I would find myself trying to make sure each had a turn.

As the years went by, I noticed that they reached for my hand less often the older they got. Eventually, all of them stopped holding my hands. Although a bit saddened by this new reality, I realized it was part of growing up. In time they grew familiar with the path, gained confidence in their abilities, and no longer feared the possible dangers. However, one of them will still reach out and grab hold of my hand every once in a while. My son does so not because of fear or insecurity but as a show of affection and love. Regardless of whether they hold my hand, they know I walk side by side with them continuing to teach, protect and remind them how much they mean to me.

My story reminds us that our heavenly Father does the same and more for us. He’s always by our side, never leaves us, and constantly shows us His love for us. For this reason, we must never forget we can always reach out and grab His hand when we need. Also, we too must do the same for our children / child.

Daily Directive:

Answer and Journal the Following

Read:

Isaiah 41:10
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Pray:

Pray for encouragement and to remember that God is always with you through it all.

Meditate / Make It Real:

Determine how you will reach out and take hold of God’s hand in good times and bad. Also, how you will be the same father to your children/child.

Share / Show:

Share and show what you’ve learned with someone else.