HarvestWord.org
Stop and Ask
February 14th, 2015
A few nights ago I was playing with my son who is now 13 months old. For Christmas he had gotten a walking/push toy and in the midst of our play he decided that he wanted play with it. So at first he just pushed it in the direction it had been originally facing, but of course he soon could go no further in that direction because of the walls. At this point he often will just leave his toy against the wall and go play something else but this time he did something different. Instead of leaving his toy, he stopped for a few seconds then looked at me. He kept looking at me and then he made one of those sounds that young children who can't yet talk but are learning to vocalize make. I understood immediately what he wanted. I went over to where he was, picked up his toy and turned it in another direction, usually one in which he could go the furthest without running into any obstacles. Sometimes however he would go off course because of his lack of ability to keep the toy in a straight line. We did this for about five minutes; each time I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart to pay attention to what was happening.
Over the past few days I have been praying about what the Lord wanted me to understand and share from this. My son represents those with a child-like faith in the Lord; those willing to follow Him and do His will. The toy represents a commissioned ministry or "walk" with the Lord. I would like to emphasize here that we are all called to a ministry; many are called to a non-vocational ministry, some are. In this instance the toy represents them all. When my son began to push the toy, it represents being equipped and doing the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Running into the wall represents various trials and tribulations that come. It is at this point that some choose to walk away from a calling, and not just the first time it happens. Each and every time is an opportunity to stay with the Lord or walk away. There are times when a ministry or walk will encounter a trial, a stopping point. These are allowed by the Lord to test and strengthen us. I am of the belief that nothing touches us without our Father's permission (Job). There are times when we encounter trials because don't follow the Lord's path and we stray to the left or the right. It is not always because of a failure on our part, but can be just the nature of living in a fallen world. Ultimately, no matter the reason or circumstance, the remedy is the same. We must look to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to help us, to guide and if necessary, to forgive us. We must do so with a child-like faith that He loves us, understands us and will come to get us pointed in the right direction.
Psalm 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct your paths"