Today I’ve run some errands with my younger two children (Abigail, 8 yrs old & Timothy, 6 yrs old). Everybody else is gone for the day so it’s just the three of us (which means frozen yogurt for lunch, tree climbing, playing tag and who knows what else). As we left one stop which is tucked in some nice woods, I decided to play up the drive and tie in the Redwall story I’m currently reading to them. I was going to take a different way out so I played up the idea of us going into the unknown and deeper into the forest looking for Badrang the tyrant and Captain Clogg. Abigail suggested a path we saw might lead to Noonvale, the tucked away kingdom of the good guys. This is always fun.

As the story died away and the kids looked out at an area that’s unfamiliar to them, there was some kidding about not knowing where we were. Then, Timothy piped up, “I don’t know where we are, but I’m trusting Daddy. He knows how to get us where we’re going.” That confidence is sweet, but it struck me that there is a deeper truth here. Often in life I don’t know where we’re going; I’m not sure how to answer all the decisions coming my way. I like to be very deliberate about things and often don’t do as well with not knowing the answers. I need to respond like my son, confessing my own ignorance but resting confidently in the knowledge and care of my Father. He knows how to get me where we’re going, and his love and knowledge are unbounded. And he even cares more about me arriving safely than I do.

I enjoy having fun with my children, and, when I listen, I often learn a lot as well.