{"id":2899,"date":"2015-06-21T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T14:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=2899"},"modified":"2015-08-10T17:14:38","modified_gmt":"2015-08-10T22:14:38","slug":"choose-to-put-your-hand-in-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=2899","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Put Your Hand in God’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Year of Choices…<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara\u2019s Banter at www.barbdahlgren.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"Isaiah<\/a>The Bible continually refers to God as our heavenly Father and to us as His children.\u00a0 I love what God tells us in Isaiah 41:13:\u00a0 \u201cFear not for I the Lord your God will hold your right hand.\u00a0 I will help you.\u201d\u00a0 If we put our hand in God\u2019s hand He will walk with us.\u00a0 He will guide us on our journey.<\/p>\n

Fathers exude an aura of protectiveness to their children.\u00a0 When toddlers are learning to walk they want to hold their father\u2019s hand to steady their uneasy steps.<\/p>\n

Preschoolers tend to be a little braver so a father will demand his hand is held to keep children from wandering away, getting lost, or darting out in front of traffic.\u00a0 His hand gives a sense of security.<\/p>\n

As children grow up and show a certain amount of wisdom they might be allowed to venture out more on their own.\u00a0 Still they know that a steady hand of guidance is there when needed.<\/p>\n

Of course there are times when teens or young adult children think they know so much more than their father.\u00a0 Eventually as they grow in maturity they realize dad knew quite a bit more than they thought.\u00a0\u00a0 As Tim Russet said, \u201cThe older I get, the smarter my dad seems to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who had loving fathers find it easier to view God as loving, merciful, and kind.\u00a0 Unfortunately, not all fathers are that way.\u00a0 Some were too busy to be bothered with their children, never around or even abusive.\u00a0 Our heavenly Father can transcend those negative memories because our spiritual Father is never too busy for us.\u00a0 He is always available and willing to give us His undivided attention.\u00a0 His thoughts are only for our best.\u00a0 He will never abandon or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 We are all children at heart.\u00a0 We all have times when we need someone to hold our hands.\u00a0 If we put our hands in our heavenly Father\u2019s hand he will hold it.\u00a0 He will help us.\u00a0 He will steady our uneasy steps.\u00a0 He will keep us from getting lost. He will guide us.\u00a0 He will calm us, comfort us, and keep us secure.<\/p>\n

All we have to do is say, \u201cFather, hold my hand\u201d and he will!<\/p>\n

\"hand<\/a><\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n