Wonderings--September 19

I want to share with you a story from the book that I am reading. Entitled Lila, the book tells the story of a young woman from a difficult childhood who encounters a minister in the small town of Gilead, Iowa. Their relationship is the story of the book.

In the book, the minister of the town writes a letter to Lila attempting to answer a question of faith for Lila. She does not know that it is a faith question as she asks it, but the back and forth that ensues speaks to us of God and of how we live our faith out. He writes: 

"A father holds out his hand to a child who is learning to walk, and he comforts the child with words and draws the child toward him, but he lets the child feel the risk it is taking, and lets it choose its own courage and the certainty of love and comfort when the child reaches his father over--I was going to say choose it over safety, but there is no safety. And there is no choice, either, because it is in the nature of the child to walk."

These words got me thinking about how we practice our faith each day. How we live out faithfully what God asks us to do. . . 

I believe that it is in our nature as Christians to choose to believe, choose to walk to each other, choose to care, and choose the risk. We choose to answer the phone when it rings even though the ringing phone will draw us away from whatever task we are busy with in the moment--often a task we do not want to abandon. 

We choose to listen to another story from a friend or neighbor even though we know how the story ends and how it moves and shifts. We choose to look at what the Lord has given us and wonder if we could offer those gifts to another person because we sense that they need it. We choose to look at the suffering of a friend and believe that God has heard their prayers and that God will stay close by. We are walking toward our Heavenly Father with each step, and I agree with the Reverend in the book I am reading, it is our nature to walk toward God. 

It is comforting to hear God's voice whisper to us and encourage us to take one more step. Trust the strength of our faith to hold us up when we offer what we have and what we are to someone else. I wonder toady how the story of a father and his walking-child speaks to your heart? How does it call you to practice your faith and what step could you take now to obediently respond to God? 

Blessings