The God of compassion said, “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms.”   Hosea 11:3

I can remember when my son was learning to walk. In front of him was a new and wonderful world, one he could not see when he was crawling. He could not see me behind him, but he held on to my fingers because he would lose his balance without me. When he became strong and balanced enough to support himself, I turned him around toward me. Once he could see me, the desire to come to me gave him the courage to take those first steps on his own into my arms. He stumbled a few times, but I was always there to catch him, strengthening his skill and faith in himself so he could someday walk on his own.

As I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 18, “Unless you change and become like children,” I realize that I’ve been crawling along through life for too long on my own. When I allow God to guide me, I see a new world, an outlook I’ve never experienced before. This new outlook builds my strength so I can look beyond the suffering and pain of the world to see the works of a wonderful Healer, Creator, and Guide. Then as I turn to God in worship, prayer, and service, I find confidence to take those first steps to God so that soon we can walk side by side.

God, help us to reach out to you, trust you as our guide, and look for your wondrous hand at work. Amen.