On the Shoulders of the Father

When we’re children, being dependent on others comes naturally. In fact, we have no choice; without the attentive care of others, we simply wouldn’t survive. But as we grow older things change. We slowly learn independence and autonomy. Our first wobbly steps eventually lead to blissful running, and our ability to navigate the world grows beyond merely following others. This is certainly good, and part of the natural course of life. We are meant to mature and become fully ourselves, living in a posture of self-possession which allows us to blossom and to also look outward in loving and serving others.

However, as we know, the spiritual life has a way of turning things upside-down. When it comes to our relationship with God and our interior life, we are meant to become more and more childlike. This is not the same as childish, which implies immaturity and a lack of freedom. Quite the opposite is true: those who have become the most childlike towards God are the most mature and free in the spiritual life!

What began these ponderings was a story my brother recently shared with me. Several months ago, he’d discovered a new hiking trail by his house, and one day he asked his family if anyone would like to go with him on a hike. In the end, it was his three-year-old daughter who took him up on the offer. She ambitiously began the ascent up the path next to her dad, but within a few minutes her little legs were tired. Instead of becoming upset, she simply turned to my brother and asked him to carry her. He reached down, lifted her up, and gently placed her on his shoulders. Soon she was happily surveying the view and in complete peace, as my brother laboured up the path. After that experience, whenever the topic of hiking arises, my niece confidently proclaims that she loves hiking. This always brings a chuckle to my brother, who says, “Her version of hiking is sitting on my shoulders.”

There is a powerful truth in this for us. How often we struggle along the path of life, sweating and out of breath, caught in our own whirlwinds of control, anxiety, insecurity, weariness, trying to “measure up”…the list goes on. And all the while, our loving Father is walking right by our side, gazing down at us with great tenderness. He is always with us, and His ears are open to hear every whispered prayer that arises from our hearts.

For my niece, her version of “hiking” is not to rely on her own strength and skill, but to rely on the strength and love of her father. What if we did this too? What if instead of relying on our own limited strength and resources, we turned to Him and said, “Father, will you please carry me?” What if our version of living life was not to rely on ourselves, but to rely on the Father?

If we let go of pride and self-sufficiency and surrender to His love, how will He respond? He will reach down, lift us up, and gently place us on His shoulders. He wants to help us live in His freedom, strength, and truth. We are not orphans making our way through life. We are His sons and daughters, infinitely known and loved beyond our understanding.

“…you saw how the Lord, your God, carried you, as one carries his own child, all along your journey until you arrived at this place.” Deuteronomy 1:31

 

-Sr. Thérèse, CFR