Cart Correction

When it comes to carts, I think I am cursed.  It seems to never fail, that when I make my choice from that tangled mess of metal and madness in the entrance of Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee or Target, I end up with a defective one.  Really.

So, the other day as I was pushing my shopping cart, I noticed that I had to work especially hard at keeping it on the straight and narrow.  As I perused the endless aisles, I realized that I must apply heavy pressure on the right side of the handle so the left wheel wouldn’t push me into an oncoming customer.  I was exhausted by the time I got to the check out aisle and had to go home and take a nap after unloading my groceries.

This whole experience of fighting with my cart, the wheel wanting to go one way, and me pulling it back, made me think of how I am with God.  I constantly try to go my own way, think my own thoughts, bring myself the glory.  God, in His loving strength continues to pull me back on the right path through His Word, His people, His Glory.

Sometimes, though, I don’t respond to any of these, and He in His infinite wisdom, has to apply some pressure to my life so I won’t keep pulling away.  This pressure may come in the form of conviction or confusion or discontentment, and though it feels uncomfortable, it always turns me back to God…at least for a time.

And God, in His boundless mercy, continues to guide me patiently, knowing full well that I will stray from His path again and again and again.  Just like the wheel on the cart.

But still, He keeps holding on.

And He keeps guiding me so I won’t collide with disaster.

And I need to keep trusting Him and letting Him lead the way. 

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of folls will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety, and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Proverbs 1:32-33