“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, NLT)
The day shines of autumn glory, and I have an idea.
“Let’s gather the boys,” I say, “and take them to the alpine slide.”
My husband Lonny is on board. He’s a boy at heart, and it sounds like fun.
The alpine slide is a run, a track, at a ski resort about an hour from home. The track winds and curves down the gentle side of a ski hill. Guests rent a coaster and glide down the slope.
If the timing is right, the view is breathtaking. The Mississippi river runs alongside the hill, and valley should be rich with color this time of the year.
The boys are in the van in a heartbeat. Logan’s still home for the weekend, and we feel complete.
“Once we’re at the bottom of the hill, how do we get back up?” Isaiah asks as we travel along.
“The ski lift,” Logan says.
“Is it high?” Isaiah asks. “Because if it is, I don’t want to ride on that.”
While flat farmland gives way to gentle hills, we talk about lift. This is all new to Isaiah. The last time we enjoyed the slide, he stayed with grandparents. He was too small.
Soon we’re at the resort the boys bolt from the van. The timing is perfect–autumn color has washed over the river valley. The sun is out and the afternoon is clear.
But Isaiah’s face clouds with worry.
He stands, hands on hips and squints into the sun. “I don’t like the lift,” he says as the chairs run against the deep blue sky.
But he looks to the slide, and he’s drawn. We purchase tickets for everyone, grab our coasters and wait in line. It’s not long before we’re moving down the hillside, two by two, the beauty of the day rolled out before us. I ride on the track across from Logan and Isaiah, though they go fast and quickly move ahead.
And at the bottom, we wait for the lift.
Lonny and a couple of boys go first. Then Samuel and I take a seat. As we glide along, I look behind, and I can see that Isaiah and Logan are now in a chair, too.
Isaiah’s face is twisted in fear.
But as I watch, Logan’s arm moves around his little brother. He holds him tight.
Logan has Isaiah covered.
He’d never let him go.
I think about this as Samuel and I are quiet, making our way back up the hill. There are often times in my life when fear comes fast. There are times when I feel out of my comfort zone. When I feel unsafe and suspended in circumstance, and I long for sure ground.
I need someone to hold me.
And the Lord is faithful. He holds me in His victorious right hand.
The hands that created the universe and carved the seas curve to cradle me.
The Lord doesn’t always remove the circumstance, but He holds me. He protects me. Speaks through His Word to encourage me. There is no situation, no path that I have to traverse alone.
I’m so thankful for this grace.
I look behind me one more time and I see, through the lens of my camera, that Isaiah is close to smiling. His little legs are swinging a bit. He’s safe.
The fear is gone.
Logan’s arms are still around him, and Isaiah is bound in love.
And I’m lost in the beauty of it.
What a precious thing.
The comfort of being held!
