“I don’t like it! I don’t like it!” she screamed. Not exactly the reaction I hoped for as we made our first few rounds on the carousel. What had seemed like a fun idea clearly wasn’t scoring very high on the fun meter of my three-year-old niece. To be fair, she had never ridden one before so the up and down motion of the “neigh-neigh” combined with the round and round motion of the platform left her feeling far from merry.
As she was letting me know how she felt about the situation, she released one hand’s stern grip from the pole and wrapped it around my side, clinging to me as we made our way around…and around. With my hand placed around her little waist, I held her close, and assured her that everything was OK. I was right there beside her. There was joy to be found.
She eventually settled down and a smile emerged in time for her to delight in the second half of the ride.
Recently, I was reading through the Psalms. As I came to Psalm 63 and read verse 8, “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me,” my mind turned back to that day on the carousel.
Like my little niece, I’ve uttered my share of “I don’t like it” cries over the years. Life is unsettling. The round and round. The ups and downs. It can leave us looking for something to cling to. Something to calm our fears and assure us that we’re OK. The question is, what do we reach for?
Is it control…trying to direct circumstances the way we think they should go? Maybe we grasp for money and all the things it can afford to distract us. Perhaps we cling too tightly to other people, placing unrealistic expectations on them to meet our needs. Or, maybe we hold fast to our reputation, taking pride in ourselves and our accomplishments to at least appear like we have it all together.
Or, do we reach for the hand of Almighty God?
King David penned Psalm 63 while on the run from men seeking to destroy him. In the wilderness of Judah, he found himself in a situation he couldn’t control, away from the riches and splendor of a throne, where his reputation as a former giant slayer and great warrior couldn’t deliver him from his current circumstance.
Yet, he remained confident.
He placed his confidence in the One who’s right hand held him steady. He trusted in God’s power to protect and deliver him. His soul held fast to God alone. Doing so produced joy in the Lord amidst otherwise unsettling conditions.
As we make our rounds on the carousel of life, may our souls, like David, cling to the Lord who has the power to settle us and uphold us amidst all the ups and downs. He doesn’t guarantee a smooth ride, but we can take delight in the trustworthiness of the hand holding us.