ON FOLLOWING..... May 26, 2012

ON FOLLOWING.....  May 26, 2012 
As I was saying yesterday, I have always had a vivid memory of my early childhood.

When I was six years old we lived in a small lobster fishing village called Friendship, Maine. I remember the trailer (mobile home) we lived in situated beside the church where my dad pastored.  The lane leading to the church and our trailer was quite long and I recall the winter that we got this HUGE snow storm (all snow storms to a six year old are HUGE!) Dad, mom and I had been somewhere, perhaps to Rockland or Dameriscotta to get groceries or to do the laundry. As I remember, we drove home through the snow storm in dad’s 1962 Volkswagen van. When we arrived at the top of our driveway the snow was so deep dad couldn’t get the van down the lane so he parked it beside the street, we got out, loaded up our arms with supplies, and started walking through the snow down the lane toward the trailer. Now dad (Ray) had long legs, so he was able to trudge through the snow with little effort.  However, My mom and I had a short wheel base, (still do, now that I think about it and that comes from the Bell side!). For some reason mom (Judy) led the way, dad was in the middle and I brought up the tail. Dad could see that mom was struggling with her short legs to get through the snow and I was whining that I couldn’t take that big of steps.  So we stopped a moment and dad said, “Jude, let me lead the way.”  We repositioned ourselves with dad at the front, me in the middle and mom in the rear. With his huge number 11’s dad began to break a trail through the snow with short methodical steps and before long we were walking through the front door of the trailer. It may seem simple, but folks, it’s a whole lot easier when we let daddy take the lead!  Our heavenly Father has pretty big feet and He can break a trail for us through every storm if we will simply stop and reposition ourselves. Too often we try to take the lead in things pertaining to life and God says, “Why don’t you just follow Me!” Remember the song, “Where He leads me I will follow. Where He leads me I will follow. Where He leads me I will follow. I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.”  Psalms 23:3 says, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.”   Happy trails everyone!  SRR

My Mom added to this story:    It was late at night coming home from a rally in Carmel, me. I was 9 month pregnant. The three of us struggled thru the very deep snow (to my waist) .. It was that night that my daughter decided to enter this world. In the early morning hours we had to trudge back thru the deep snow & head for the hospital in Rockland, Maine. Jody was born the following day, Jan. 13, 1966..I shall never forget that night!