Ok, just so you know. This story is just one that illustrates a point, but it’s from way back in my life. And the pictures are from the hike I took at the Konza Prairie Perserve outside of Manhattan, Kansas. So on with the show, as they say.

I was in the fifth grade. You know that fifth graders are big kids, right? They think they are big kids anyway. As a family, we went to church every Saturday. Church can get quite boring when you’re in the fifth grade. Many times, I took naps during the sermon. This Saturday was no different.

I do remember usually waking up during the closing song. Everyone in a church of 250 or so singing makes a lot of noise. But, alas! I didn’t wake up on this day. Slept right through it. Slept through closing prayer, too. The deacons would always come down the ailse and dismiss people row by row after the service. I was still sleeping.

I do not remember where we were sitting in the church, but I do remember my dad picking me up and carrying me out. He didn’t carry me just out of the sanctuary but all the way out through the lobby of the church, too. By the time we were leaving the sanctuary, I was awake. Maybe I was a bit groggy. Not sure about that. The one thing I do know is at that point, I didn’t want any of my friends to see me. Remember, I am a big kid.

I asked my dad two or three times to put me down, and he did once we were out of the crowded lobby. I thought the damage was already done. Who knows who saw me get carried out? For all my worrying, no one ever said anything to me about it. I was never teased about it either. All that for nothing.

I don’t know why I remembered that story now, but it has been on my mind recently. There is a spiritual application for us, though. God has plans for each one of us. But there are times we say, “No,” to what God wants us to do. We can think of all the bad things that would happen if we do what God wants. Most of the time, we spend our energy worrying about things that never happen. If we relax and let God lead, everything turns out for the best. This thought popped into my mind as I wrote this. We can’t change who we were, but we can change who we will become. Let God steer your life. Then relax and enjoy the ride!