A Walk at the Mall

My baby is now a full-blown toddler. Today we went to do some Christmas shopping at the mall. He rode in his stroller most of the time, but while I was waiting to get my haircut, I let him out to walk around. He was so proud of himself walking everywhere and even pushing his own stroller. I think it drove him nuts that the handles were just a tad too high for him to hold onto right where I do. When we were done with our shopping, I let him get out and walk through the mall and to the car. Walking with a newly walking toddler is SLOW, but he seemed so pleased with himself. As we walked, he noticed and pointed to all kinds of things that I would certainly have walked by and never noticed like cracks in window displays and marks on the floor. Okay, so maybe those aren’t the kind of things I see as fascinating, but to him they are just the greatest! The best thing was, he actually walked with me the direction I needed him to! Our pastor Sunday used an illustration about holding tight to our child’s hand while he/she walks. The more our child gets distracted in places like a busy parking lot, the more they begin to let go and the more we hold tighter. The child doesn’t understand this “lack of freedom” because he doesn’t understand the dangers. But because of the parent’s love for the child, they won’t let go and make sure the child stays safe. He then compared that to a verse in Psalm 73 that talks about God holding us up by his right hand. Boy does that illustration hit home now as my baby is walking almost exclusively!