Can you trust someone enough to free fall backwards into their arms? I’ve done it occasionally but it takes a lot of assurance and confidence in the person catching you to achieve it without disaster.

I love the idea of living just one day at a time and one step at a time.  God doesn’t expect us to hop along or even run along but to walk steadily with his Spirit in us and Jesus beside us and Father God watching out for us.  We have so much security and stability being helped by our great God who takes interest in every detail of our lives.  As he created the tiniest of insects and every little grain of sand and still notices when a sparrow falls to the ground, he takes pleasure in helping us humans to achieve the potential that he made us for.

I am staggered at the way God encourages us to keep going and not to look back at past mistakes or choices.  Then we can focus on what’s ahead – so much abundance to enjoy. I’m not very good at having fun and enjoyment in my life but when I do, life takes on the balance that God intended.  I love a good laugh and we’re told that laughter is like medicine so I try to laugh as much as I can. Then we can become more whole and balanced and able to steer in the direction God intends for us.  He has such good plans for every single human on the planet.  He has no favourites.  We’re all his special treasure and delight.

So the next time you feel you are going backwards we can realise that every stumbling block or negative happening can be a springboard for greater blessing.  We can learn from these times of difficulty and there’s always so much to learn. So our backward steps can lead to more forward steps as we trust our maker who knows us so intimately and loves us to bits.

Children need to know even more that God has a future for them and that they can trust God in the here and now as well. As they learn to delight in God being around them then they can learn to pray so that the desires of their heart can be voiced.  A lot of the time children focus on their own needs which God is interested in and committed to meet but like us adults they and us can steadily learn that God wants us to consider others who have much less than ourselves.

‘The Creation Series’ of Diamond Books introduces children to the big wide world that God created and how he loves all that he has made.  As youngsters capture this big picture of God then their faith can rise and they can trust God for all that they need and also for the needs of others. So often the simple faith of a child can shame us adults but then we are encouraged by Jesus to become childlike in the way we trust God.

Let’s not put anything in the way of children that will stop them from moving forward with God at the helm of their lives.