sock it to me

God puts our socks on.

Now don't argue with me. I'm well aware your foot coverings were not majestically placed on your feet by a Deity this morning. Instead this is a picture to parallel the preparation He gives us.

This morning at church, the little 4 year old that sits in my pew decided to randomly put her socks and shoes back on after taking them off (which is her normal routine). I noticed that when she put her socks on, the part that was supposed to be at the ball/heel of her foot was actually on the top of her foot. This made for an awkward uncomfortable fit, ultimately leading to it bunching up in her shoe.

As the little girl went to put her shoe on, her grandmother stopped her. She then proceeded to turn the little one's socks around to the correct position. At first when grandmother did this, the little girl began to struggle against her. It was as if the granddaughter thought the grandmother had become involved in the situation merely to take away the child's ability to do it herself. But to the contrary, the grandmother was assisting the child so that she would be better off later.

I see this situation in our lives a lot with God. He tries to swoop in and rescue us from whatever mistake we're headed into, or He tries to correct us from doing something incorrectly--to teach us the right way. At first, we often fight back. "God, I've got this," we think. After all, in our very independent society, don't we ALWAYS have control? The answer here is no, though we often convince ourselves differently. He chastises and corrects us for our own benefit.

And the truth is, life without God's correction and guidance is a little awkward (like walking around with backward socks). We're not sure what to do. We seek to find the answers in various areas (i.e. sex, women, men, drugs, alcohol, school, work, sports, etc.), drifting about, if we do not find His way.

Another parallel with this story is that for the grandmother, putting a sock on correctly is a very simple task, but for the little girl, it is a challenge. This is true in so much of our lives. Just as the grandmother did, God sees our situation as simple to conquer and He directs us in the right way. At the same time, we struggle with what to Him are the simplest of tasks. If we listen to Him and let Him step in, we find He had the perfect solution all along.

Finally, without socks in the right position, it could have slowed the little girl down. She would have become less focused on her destination and more on the awkward feeling she had as she travelled/walked. Like her, by allowing God to correct our mistakes and put us back in the right position, we become fully prepared for the journey. This way, we are most likely to succeed in the plan He has for us.

That said, be like a well behaved little child, acknowledge your short comings and need for God and let Him take care of you and guide you.
Proverbs 3:5-6,
"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."