God Walks With Me

Modified from my archives

Have you ever thrown a temper tantrum?  I mean - as a grown up?  I have.  Maybe I didn't lie down and flail my arms and legs about and scream at the top of my lungs but I certainly gave plenty of attitude. I'm not proud to admit my occasional composure failures but I have to be honest. Life can be hard and downright unpleasant at times.  Sadly - I admit - I've resorted to childlike behavior in order to cope.
 
Thankfully, I grew up with a good foundation of who God is and what He's about. Even though I don't always understand Him or His ways of doing things, I still know that He loves me and He will never leave me.

I picture my life as a journey down a path. Fortunately, I am not walking down the path alone. My Lord and Savior walks with me. Most days are spent in peace. We walk along talking, making note of the splendor around us and taking in the blessings of life. But, as with all journeys, we encounter obstacles, speed bumps, detours, forks, or flat out collisions (whatever description seems to apply at the time). It's at one of those unpleasant obstacles where I might have a tantrum moment.  I picture myself crossing my arms, sitting down and stubbornly refusing to move forward. I'm not happy and I'm not going to get up! It's my silent protest. 

But here is the remarkable thing: God doesn't yell at me. He doesn't call me a crybaby and tell me to get up. He doesn't tell me I'm ungrateful and I'm lucky to get as far as I've gotten in life. He doesn't say, "Fine, you stay here. I'm going on without you."

I believe with all my heart God waits patiently for me to finish my tantrum so that we may proceed together. He'll wait however long it takes. I know my attitude disappoints Him (frankly, it disappoints me) but that doesn't mean He doesn't love me. It doesn't mean He wants to write me off and forget me.  His hand is always there ready and waiting for me to get over myself. When that moment finally arrives (when the hurt and anger have subsided enough for me to see truth again) I look up at my Savior who lovingly asks if I'm ready.  I answer "Yes." and take His outstretched hand. He helps me up and our journey begins again (together). 

I'm so thankful for God's loving patience. Knowing that God walks with me in my journey through life helps make each step easier to take.