Those words echoed through my mind as the ditch loomed larger than it had appeared at a distance. All of a sudden the easy confidence that said, "you can do it" quavered in a fearful movement and disappeared. We'd been walking for quite a while so when my husband proposed we take a short cut by jumping the ditch, I quickly agreed.
But now, hesitant thoughts began to race through my mind. "You know, you're not as young as you used to be!" "What if you hurt your bad leg?" "It's pretty muddy on the other side - your shoes will be ruined!"
Ultimately, however, I believed his reassuring words, and I jumped. Even while soaring over the muddy water, I felt a thrill of exhilaration. I did it! I took a risk and made it! And yes, I turned my ankle; yes, my shoes got muddy; yes, it's true - I'm not as young as I used to be. But in that moment, I felt young. In that moment, I had fun! And in that moment, I realized a great truth -- it's important to trust whose hand you're reaching for.
I knew without question that hand was a strong hand; that hand had pulled me out of danger before; that hand belonged to someone who loved me, who had my best interests at heart. He knew me well; he knew my "bad-leg" issues and he knows when to push me to do more than I think I can do.
The analogy was very obvious to me -- the most important hand we need to reach out for, the trust we must have, is in God. And that trust so often is impacted by humans. If we can't trust our earthly father, it will be very hard to trust our heavenly father. If those we depended upon most have rejected or disappointed us, all too often that's what we expect of God as well.
Thus, when we approach "ditches" in our lives of disappointment, despair or desperation, the hardest thing may be to trust God. Some of those scary thoughts may sound like, "I just lost my job; my spouse just walked out on me; this diagnosis is not good." Sometimes, however, scary thoughts are even wrapped around more positive possibilities such as relocating, applying for a better position or taking another chance at love.
But remember, God knows you and has your best interests at heart. God knows all your "issues." God has kept you from danger before; even if you didn't know it, you can count on that. And God knows when to push you to do more than you think you can do. Those are the times when God says, "Don't look down. Keep your eyes on my hand. I've got you!"
