Chosen Grace

Hi guys! I know what you’re thinking: two blog posts back to back? Yep, that’s right. I got inspiration and just knew that this post needed to be written. Enjoy!

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Now that I’m in grad school, I take advantage of all of the breaks that I can get. Whether it’s me spending the day in my apartment cleaning, hanging out with friends, or writing- I’m going to take full advantage of it.

Because of that, I was super excited for spring break to roll around. For me- to have those seven days to do what I wanted made me giddy with joy.

I decided to spend my spring break back home with my family. I saw my grandparents who were aging gracefully, my parents who move as a unit and my little sister who is a typical teenager. But, there was one person that I saw that inspired this post. And her name is Maya.

Maya is the newest edition to my family. Her father (my uncle) brings her to my grandparents every other weekend, so she just so happened to be visiting the weekend I was home.

I sat in my grandparent’s home and watched as Maya’s one-year-old legs teeter-tottered as fast as they could go. Maya would occasionally stop and check me out. But for the most part, Maya followed behind one person: her father.

If her father went to one couch, she would follow. If he went down the hallway, she would make her way to where he was. And if they were in the same room and she did not know where he was, she would look from person to person until she found her dad. Then she’d smile and quickly walk towards him, hanging on to his legs lovingly.

One such Maya-filled incident was when Maya (who is discovering her sense of taste) picked something up and put it in her mouth. My uncle immediately went into dad mode and fussed at her lightly. He took whatever it was from her mouth and brushed it away. Maya whined and immediately went into her dad’s arms, calming down almost instantly.

I must admit, when I first saw Maya do this, I was confused. I had never been a “Daddy’s Girl”, and to see my little cousin embody this made me very intrigued. As I kept watching their interactions, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a scripture that I had read the other day:

^” When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.^[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.”

Exodus 13: 17-18

To put these verses into context, Pharaoh had just let the Israelites go. after Moses had pleaded time and time again. God was leading them to their destination. And while the Israelites had not crossed the red sea yet, they still had some traveling to do. Instead of choosing to lead His chosen people to the promised land through the shorter route, God decided to lead them a longer way.

I’ll admit-reading this tripped me out! I mean think about it: why would God lead them in a way that was longer, when He could have just taken a shorter route?

Well, if you look closer- God knew that the shorter route had potential danger up ahead. By choosing to take His children on a longer route- God was protecting them from things they could not see.

This reminds me of Maya and my uncle. When he removed that junk from her mouth, she didn’t understand why, but he did. He was protecting her from swallowing something that could have hurt her.

In this same fashion, God protects us. There are times in all of our lives when God had moved us to a place we do not understand. We feel like God is taking us the long way. Of course- we want the shortest route to reach our dreams, goals, and life that we have prayed about.

Personally, this was me up until recently. Like my little cousin Maya, I was peddling around and doing my own thing. And like my uncle, God quickly stepped in and let me know that what I want sometimes is not good for me.

You see, this scripture in Exodus was the first of the Isrealites having to be led by God. Remember, they spend 40 years in the wilderness before even reaching the promised land.

When God leads us in a specific way, there is purpose in that. God’s plan for our lives has been written before the foundation of the world. We should trust that where He is leading us is good!

However, trusting God’s way can be hard sometimes. Personally, I get frustrated waiting! It’s kind of like sitting in traffic that is jammed up on a hot summer day. Waiting for me sometimes feels like I’m going in circles. I feel like Maya when she can’t have her way- annoyed and all I want to do is cry.

And maybe it feels that way for you, too. Maybe God has promised you something but you have to wait.

And if that’s you– I want you to take joy in that. God has not left you. He never will.

As I draw this post to a close, I want to reinforce this point: the Isrealites had to follow God’s plan. Much like my cousin Maya follows behind her dad. We too should follow behind God.

You see, God’s path for us is never to hurt or hinder us. But it is to always get us there safely and on time- God’s time.

I encourage you all to follow- no run- behind God’s plan for your life. With Him leading the way, you are sure to enter your promised land.

Like Maya, let’s all follow in our Father’s footsteps.

With love,

Malaysia