The Journey

Over the last few months, my not-quite two year-old son has been talking more and more. It is fascinating to finally hear him put words to what he is thinking and feeling. One of his much-used phrases is "dat way." We'll be driving in the car or taking a walk with him in the stroller and he'll see a street that we don't take and say "Dat way! Wanna go dat way!" Of course, he doesn't know what is down that street not taken, but apparently, something about it appeals to him. He also doesn't completely understand that the adult who is driving him or pushing his stroller usually has a good reason for going a different way.

In my son's longing to take his own path, I recognize my own tug of war with God. On this journey of faith, I have looked longingly at side streets and highways and said "That way! I want to go that way!" Amazingly enough, God has let me choose where I wanted to go, even when the choices were bad ones. God has stayed with me through all my choices and--sometimes just by being with me--has redeemed my mistakes or at least helped me to come to terms with them so that the journey can continue.

Sunday I will preach a final sermon in my series on the stories of David in 1 and 2 Samuel. One thing I have found so appealing about David is that he is both an exceptional character (set apart, chosen by God to rule Israel) and exquisitely (often painfully) human--he makes terrible mistakes both personally and politically. But through all of the twists and turns and dead ends of David's life, God sticks by him, and David sticks by God, too, seeking out God time and again to show his gratitude, to repent, to worship, to lament, to pray. David's story reminds us that, much as we might wish it at times, God is not going to lead us in the right direction against our will, but God will go with us, if only so that eventually we might learn to quit focusing on the path and instead turn our attention toward the One we seek to follow.