Why We Move So Slowly

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:105

Will, Ronan and Arielle were running around the worship center as their dad and I were rehearsing for the upcoming service. In an effort to keep them occupied, I gave Will and Ronan our phones, encouraging them to use the flashlight to find “hidden treasures” in the rows of seats (keeps them busy, helps clean the church = win-win).

The house lights were down as dramatic music cued the beginning of my solemn monologue. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flashlights in the bleacher seats as my three- and eight-year-old ran along the top row. Half way down, my two-year-old was trying to come down the stairs but instead of shining the flashlight on the path ahead, he was shining it in his face. “Dear Lord, please just don’t let him fall.” I looked back at my prompter and rushed through my lines, glancing over at every pause. Surely he will turn the light around instead of struggling to find the next step down.

Miraculously he remained uninjured—but he also only advanced two steps. The verse in Psalms about God’s word being a lamp to my feet came to mind.

And I wondered if I do this to Jesus. How often to I allow His light and wonder to shine in my face but not influence my choices? What’s the point of having a flashlight in a dark room if you never use it to help you find the places you could be going?