Carrying 101

"The LORD your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled until you reached this place."

(Deuteronomy 1:30-31)

There are numerous reasons a parent will carry a child somewhere.

FIRST, the child might not yet know how to walk. When children are young, they are practically helpless. If they need to get somewhere, their parents will pick them up and carry them (or maybe push a stroller!).

SECOND, a child might not be able to move fast enough to get where they need to go, so a parent will carry them. They're becoming mobile and learning to walk, but can't quite put the speed in with the coronation. And sometimes you simply need to be there in a specific time.

THIRD, the distance required to travel might be too far for the them to walk. Many a family hike has started with a child happily walking along... but as time wears on, little bodies tire out... and kids need to be carried. They've gone as far as they can on their own.

FOURTH, sometimes a child refuses to go where s/he needs to go. Who hasn't seen a child "pitch a fit" somewhere, while a pleading parent seeks to cajole them onward. Sometimes a parent will simply pick up the child, and forcibly carry them to where they need to go. (Actually, it happens all the time!).

FIFTH, parents will carry their children because they want the intimacy that carrying brings with it. They love their children and love the feelings of closeness and cuddling. And most children love this, too! So carrying fosters love, connection, and intimacy.

All of these explanations can fit into the storyline of the Hebrew people in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 1 recaps Israel's history - including God's statement that through the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, God carried his people... "just as one carries a child."

Sometimes we can't get where we need to be on our own, so God carries us...

Sometimes we can't get where we need to be fast enough (or at the right time), so God carries us...

Sometimes the distance is too far for us, or we get tired along the journey, so God carries us...

Sometimes we refuse to go where we need to go, so God carries us...

And sometimes God just wants to be intimate with us, so God carries us...

Where have you found yourself "carried" by God?