Faith Like Shopping Carts...

(My sweet kiddos, the first time Matthew rode in the front without a baby carrier!)

When I go shopping, the most pressing matter on my mind is not which brand of diapers to buy, the sale price of green beans, or even where to park so that I create that perfect triangle between my car, the store and the shopping cart return. No, what I'm thinking about is how to place my children into the cart in order to maximize my time, space and patience for the hour or so that we'll be inside. Usually, Matthew (almost two) sits up front in the seat while Courtney (nearly 5) sits inside of the cart or rides on the end, or walks beside me. It all depends on how long we'll be there and whether or not I'm buying the big pack of toilet paper.

When Courtney sits inside the basket, she's busy. VERY busy. She builds towers from cans of corn, pokes sponges through the tiny "castle windows" that make up the cart's frame, and becomes the narrator for amazing stories full of complex characters. Naturally, this makes it hard for her to hear me. I have to raise my voice, or sometimes even stop the cart and tap her shoulder to bring her out of this creative trance.

And then there's the end of the cart. When Courtney rides here, she's hanging on for dear life! Every stop, turn and bump send her flailing to one side or another- what an adventure!! This often stresses her out a bit, though, so she climbs along the side of the cart, nearly pulling me into a pyramid of Oreos or something (gasp!) breakable. She eventually makes her way to the front of the cart, walking between me and the front wheels. This inevitably leads to some sort of accident, usually caused by my size tens stepping on her little piggies. Tears. Words. Hugs. Back to the end of the cart.

All this time, Matthew sits in the seat as happy as a clam. It's tempting for him to try to follow his sister and jump into the cart, but for the most part he's focused on me. I talk to him, tickle his feet and make silly faces. He gives me high fives and smiles.

As I push the cart up and down the isles, my kiddos always end up exactly where I want them. The journey always leads to the checkout line. The difference in the level of joy we experience is dependent upon where they're sitting. I got to thinking about this. It's a lot like faith.

On the journey of life, we have a choice in where we ride as Jesus guides us:

1) We can "sit in the cart." We can go through life distracted by all of the things around us, barely paying attention to Jesus except when He stops life, taps us on the shoulder, and (like I do with my daughter) says "Look at My eyes- I'm talking to you!"

2) We can "hang on for dear life." We live in a false sense of faith because we're just hanging on, hoping we somehow end up where we're supposed to be. We cringe at every turn, terrified of getting hurt or thrown off the wagon. We yell to Jesus, "Hey! Do you have this thing under control? Because I'm not feelin' it here!" We're far from God, but still His. We convince ourselves that it's all faith, but we're really the ones trying to lean the cart from one side or the other, hoping not to run into something. We try to get up at the front so we can drive, but end up getting our toes stepped on by a very big, very sovereign God.

3) We can sit at the front, facing Jesus, instead of our destination. We can experience our relationship with Him- hear His voice, see the love in His eyes, and respond to His correction when we're tempted to jump into the cart with our friends who are so distracted by the things around them. We don't worry about where we're going- we just enjoy Jesus and trust Him to get us there. THAT is real faith.

So the question is this: Where are you sitting today? Where will you sit tomorrow? Because you do have a choice. Let's all climb up into the baby seat today, respond to Jesus, and let Him get us to the end with joy and delight.