little dips

This morning I went down to the dock with Sarah. I carried her down and then let her walk the long planks to the water's edge. The big puffy clouds in the deep blue sky were framed by trees and the marshy wetlands surrounding us. They were mesmerizing and I just wanted to sit and stare at them, but Sarah was just looking at the ground and concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, so on we plodded. She gripped my finger and took very determined steps. The long dock is made up of several sections that are anchored together and there are gaps between the sections. My foot bridged the gap with out hesitation, but her tiny foot would have been swallowed up by the black hole if she had stepped into it. Every time we got to the gap she would pause, grip my finger tighter and take a giant step over the chasm. It made me think of the little dips in life that seem so big to us, but are manageable with God by our side. He is there to carry us over them if we need. As we climbed back up the hill to pick some wildflowers, Sarah laid her head on my shoulder and cooed along to the hymn I was singing. We all need to have that same gentle trust and know that someone bigger and stronger than us is in charge and has our best interest at heart.