Daniel, aged two and a half, was going to church with Dad and had important things to talk about on the way. Dad, usually rushing to attend to the urgent, was not hurrying to pull him along. Walking. Talking. Hand in hand with his father.

Somewhere after the age of two we tend to lose the art of walking and talking. When we are old enough to walk and talk with our heavenly Father we no longer think we need to. We are not free to hold on tightly to his hand because our hands are full of other things – good and valuable things: the control of our own security; the pursuit of happiness; the amassing of wealth; establishing dreams and plans; securing our children’s success. It is only when things start to feel empty that we begin to loosen our grip.

In our growing independence, we do not want our Father’s hand to lead us. It seldom crosses our mind to talk about important things with him. We pursue our dreams by ourselves. We trip and we begin to fall, but are not accustomed to reaching for his hand. We don’t realise that he has slowed down to walk with us, so we bear the brunt of loss and uncertainty alone.

It is remarkable that, though our Father sustains a universe of over 400 billion light years in diameter, he is happy to walk down the path of life with us – loving, leading, listening, comforting. I am fortunate if, as I grow up, I become like a child again and discover this basic reality of the Christian life: Jesus came so that I can walk hand in hand with my Father.

SLe