There she stood in the parking lot—my remarkably stubborn oldest child who was, indeed, holding her own hand. She did not want to hold my hand because she was three, independent and tired of getting dragged around where I wanted to go. What is more remarkable is that my youngest child did exactly the same thing when she was three.
I have two adopted children sandwiched between two biological children. My adopted children have a great genetic benefit in that they are not the result of cross-breeding between a German and a Norwegian, creating what may be the most stubborn creature known…a Gerwegian…or is it a Norweman?
My other children also have their stubborn moments; their moments of “I can do this myself,” “I didn’t ask what you think,” and “I don’t need your help!” We ALL do. And it IS in the genes. Part of being human is wandering down paths in life that turn out to not be so great and thinking that we know best.
I’m clearly not the first person to have this thought. The prophet Isaiah said, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…” Isaiah 53:6a.
Okay, so the problem is universal; it applies to every person ever born in any era; it applies to the rich and the poor, to every nation, every ethnic group. We are all standing in the big, scary parking lot of life holding our own hand.
But I have good news. The story doesn’t end there. Isaiah continues the sentence, “…and the LORD has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6b.
That one verse, written 2,700 years ago sums up what we do at WorldVenture. We tell people that there is GOOD news. You don’t have to do the ups and downs of life holding your own hand. And in fact, you can’t.
Just like I didn’t let my girls negotiate the busy parking lot alone, God doesn’t want us to wander through life alone. First, He offers peace with Himself, through faith in Jesus. Then He offers us peace in this crazy life by allowing His Spirit to stay with us. To top it all off, He offers us relationships with other people who encourage us and (figuratively and sometimes literally) hold our hand through life.
If you want to know more about not living life alone, please leave a comment or connect with us on our Facebook page or our group. If you want to know more about WorldVenture and how we are trying to spread the good news about Jesus, please explore the rest of our website.