Walking God's path, at his pace.

I love going on walks. To me it is a form of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise. It is relaxing. It gives me quiet time that I can't get in a chaotic house with small children. It gives me a chance to breath in fresh air and to hear the birds singing. But that all changes when I bring my kids along.

It's no longer a relaxing saunter. It becomes a frantic chase to keep up with one child while the other lags behind. I can't quite catch my breath because I'm spending all of it answering a multitude of questions from, "Why is that dog barking?" to, "Mom, do you think there is pizza in Heaven?" The birds are drowned out by the cries of, "Jaedon, wait for me at the corner. Don't cross the street!" and "Mommy my legs are tired, will you carry me?" But sometimes, we just walk silently hand in hand. I find these walks an odd mix of frustration and stress mingled with precious moments with my kids.

Part of our "assignment" from church this week is to spend time in solitude. I was actually able to do that this morning. My mind was mulling over a phrase that I feel God gave me a few days ago: "God's path, His pace." And then pictures started floating through my head, replaying walks I've had with my kids. And the phrase made sense.

When I walk with my heavenly Daddy, sometimes I get excited with what I see two blocks away. So I run to look at it. He hollers, "Wait for me at the corner, you're not ready to cross that street by yourself yet."

If I don't listen and run too far ahead, I miss the fact that I went straight and He turned the corner. Or what about the times that he keeps moving and I stop to investigate a single leaf in the gutter? "Naomi, come on. You need to keep up with me!"

Or how about when I cry, "Daddy, can you carry me? My legs are tired." Just like with my little girl, God's answer is one of two things. Either he sees I'm exhausted and physically unable to move forward, so he puts me on his shoulders and carries me. Or (and this is usually the answer to my Emma) He says, "No child. You're a big girl. You can walk to the rest of the way home."

But the absolute best times when I'm walking with God is when we walk hand in hand. I feel that is where I'm at right now. I feel the winds of change blowing and I want to run ahead to see what is coming. But I resist, because I don't want to get there unless my Daddy is right beside me.