Never. Let. Go.

A couple of weeks ago, Zak and I were walking into the community center where our church meets, and Noel was walking between us. She likes to hold onto both of our hands (if I don't offer her mine right away, she reaches up and says, "Hand!" until I give it to her ;) ) and walk in. This particular day, I noticed something that I hadn't paid attention to before. Like a toddler typically does, Noel falls. She trips on the toes of her shoes that always seem to be too big. She gets distracted looking around at flowers ("flowoos!") or she just plain isn't paying attention.

And usually when she falls, she goes all the way down. But when she is holding both Zak and my hands, her feet go out from under her, but her tiny little grip on our fingers tightens and she holds on for dear life.

She doesn't fall.

So of course we notice that she's hanging from our fingers and we stop, she gets her feet back under her and we keep going forward.

And I thought to myself, "Why don't I do that?"

So often as I'm walking through the situations that life has for me, I trip and fall. I typically try to keep a good grip on God's hand, but when I see the ground start coming for my face, I let go and try to catch myself.

That's my problem.

I was never meant to catch myself.

Trials in life are going to happen. Finances might be tight, health might not be perfect all the time, and just unforeseen and tragic circumstances happen. But we are not meant to catch ourselves. We are meant to hold tightly to the God who provides, to the God who supports, to the God who's banner over us is love.

If we could catch ourselves, there would have been no reason for Jesus to die on the cross. 

So we walk forward, holding tightly to the Almighty hand of God and Never. Let. Go.

"For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'" Isaiah 41:13