My Flower Girl

 

Mommy, can you fix my dress-up outfit now?...Sure, Elissa, let me get the needle & thread....Mommy, what's a needle? Why do you need it? What's it do?

Elissa got a colorful dress-up outfit from her cousin Hayley for her birthday. She wore it so much that the strap ripped off eventually. It's been in the "fix-it" pile for a few weeks, so it was time to get out the sewing basket. And that's when the questions started. They always say the best way to learn something is to teach it. Elissa has helped me learn so much!

Have you ever thought about what a needle is and why you need to use it? I had not. Well, Elissa, a needle makes the path for the thread and pulls it along its way, I spoke slowly as I formulated the thought in my own mind. I continued, Without the needle, the thread wouldn't have a path to follow and couldn't hold the strap to the dress. Isn't it great that we have needles? Thankfully, she seemed content. A few minutes later, she pulled the dress on and began twirling.

And I began thinking. What a great illustration of what God gives us in the Bible and His Spirit -- a guide to show us the path to go on. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 When I trust in Him and His wisdom and His ways, He will guide my path. He will show me where to go and how to get there. When I try to find my own way, it's about as useful as trying to put a piece of thread through material without a needle. It would be a frustrating, tiring, simply useless process. I need to remember the futility of leaning on my own understanding and instead trust in Him with all my heart and acknowledge Him in all my ways. Then I can twirl in His grace and enjoy the abundant life that comes from obedience.