Beep, Beep... Here Comes Bella!
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard
A neighbor of ours has taken a serious liking to one of our granddaughters in a very paternal way. Whenever he sees her, his eyes absolutely light up and he chuckles loudly when she asks him about his long beard and his missing teeth.
Recently, he surprised Bella with a very special gift: a pink radio-controlled jeep. It seats two children, which means that Bella can “drive” around with her cousin Charlotte Grace by her side. The jeep is equipped with seatbelts, a horn, and believe it or not, a working radio!
Obviously, at age 3, Bella isn’t old enough to drive the jeep herself, which is where the remote control comes into play. Although Bella thinks she is directing the jeep’s movements, the real “driver” is whoever is operating the remote control. And so, whenever Bella and Char are about to run off the road and hit something, the operator simply hits the brake button followed by the reverse button.
As Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher and theologian who lived from 1813 to 1855, said in today’s quote, life has two sets of directions. The first is forward, which is what we do every day when we wake up, get out of bed, and go about our daily activities. However, for those activities to be fully understand in the proper context, we need to occasionally look in life’s “rearview mirror.” When we do, some things that were incomprehensible when they were happening suddenly begin to make perfect sense.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other, my friend, and allow God to direct your steps. Someday in the not-too-distant future – and throughout eternity – I am confident you will be able to look back and see what it was all about.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
