Written by Heather Riggleman
(I posted this on my column on Her View From Home yesterday but since then God enlightened me. He has given my the instruction manual and the times when I thought I stumbled, God was there to pick me up. I added a few more thoughts just for you, little mama).
Midnight. The time my husband and I fell into bed, our snores and tossing filled with mutterings of “Hand me that piece. I think it goes here.”
“No, it’s backwards.”
Like every naive parent on Christmas eve, we decided to assemble some gifts for our kids; one in particular for our son. Chris had gone on a hunt earlier this year for the perfect father-son gift. He didn’t come home empty handed on his mission to “Search, Tag it and Bag it” finding a Big Chaser Race Car Set.
We looked at the 4 foot long box thinking, “No problem. With the instructions, we can put this bad boy together in no time…” That phrase was uttered at 9:00 PM. We opened the box, excited to be the coolest parents on the block; as we took in the scene of some 3 million plus parts… our confidence wavered.
And then we found the instructions.
In French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Japanese and English.
One small paragraph accompanied by a small picture. That was it. Our confidence now gone as Chris threw out a slew of words I don’t care to repeat.
As I assisted my husband by sitting across from him looking pretty (Hey! Sometimes all our husband’s need is just our presence, may as well look good while do it :-)), I pondered my own journey through life. There wasn’t an instruction manual to direct my footsteps.
Instead, you and I took our first steps in the presence of our parents. As we grew, our parents and life experiences in friendships, school, became the compass for which we directed the next steps. Certain points in our lives led us to dead ends and in frustration, one would wish for an instruction manual.
Being 30, I’ve hit more than my fair share of dead-ends, crossroads, valleys, mountains and even a spot in paradise for a time. As always, I picked myself up and moved on, my feet leading to the next lesson or task on this crazy beautiful journey through life. While my husband continued to piece together the race track, God impressed a verse upon my heart:
Jeremiah 17:5-6,“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
God did give us the instruction manual for life. Though the pages seem to be filled with strange parallels like shepherd boys and pharaohs the message weaved through out those pages is map to eternal life. The race track you and I are on, it is just training for what God has in store for us eternally. Our job is to look to his word for direction and not put our trust in men…even the most successful.
Finally, our son’s race track was complete.
Assembled in the proper manner to race his cars. As our cars raced around the track, I smiled. Life is much like that race track without the instruction manual, we move through the highs and lows, with our faith guiding us; learning the lessons we need to pass down to our children and into eternity. I thought again about what God impressed upon my heart; realizing the only difference between our journey and that race track with seemingly insignificant instructions is one who went before us. Leading a life free of sin while defeating the most enticing temptations. Jesus. He went before us, creating the narrow groove on the race track. And he left us some instructions to use as we assembled the pieces of our lives in all things motherhood, in being the woman God created us to be.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me–holy is name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed his mighty feds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:46-53
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
