Trusting God in My Mistakes

Years ago, with our cheerio-strewn minivan loaded with car seats, diapers, sippy cups, sleeping bags and five bouncing children, we attempted a vacation. A seven hour drive and numerous Odyssey episodes later, we arrived (with children still bouncing) at my father’s cabin, nestled deep in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Wanting to expend some of this infinite energy, our days consisted of hikes along beautiful rivers and rocky hills overlooking waterfalls. The way was wild, unprepared for tourists, often taking us close to dangerously steep banks… breathtaking beauty. As our kids followed us, stopping now and then to examine an animal track or some new flower or bug, we delighted to watch them. They, rather than the countless wonders around us, were the focus of nearly all our pictures. Skipping along, our children had freedom to run and play, but as we approached a dangerous area we either held tightly to their hands or carried them. They might stumble from time to time, but with a firm grip we’d quickly help them regain their balance. We were not about to let them fall.

Psalm 37:23, 24 says “If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

What makes the LORD delight in a man’s way? I believe the answer is similar to that memory I just wrote about. We delighted in our children’s way, first because they were our children, and second because they were following us, not sitting down and pouting, and not running in the opposite direction. When we become God’s child and choose to follow Jesus, He delights in our way. We can trust that He will make our steps firm, no matter how wobbly they may feel to us. We may venture off the path a little, but His strong hand will pull us back.

The rocky path of launching children into adulthood is way out of my league. I am prone to stumble as I face difficult decisions and questions that I don’t know how to answer. At the end of the day I wonder if I got it right or wrong. These verses comfort me. My Father is holding my hand firmly in His strong grip. He won’t let me fall. If I wobble and make a mistake, He will stabilize my steps so that I still get to where He is taking me.  He is taking me to places where I will see more of His breathtaking beauty than I ever would if our path led down a predictably smooth city sidewalk. And it is so much easier to entrust my children, with their mistakes, to the LORD if I’m not worrying about my own mistakes.