discipleship

My brother took his daughters to Disney World this week. The twins (Ella/Emma) are 5, having just started kindergarten, Ava is 3 and 1/2 (the 1/2 is important), and Allie will be 2 this week. They are at great ages to enter into the world of make-believe and story telling that Disney does so well. I forced my sister in law to post pictures of the trip ASAP because I would have LOVED to have been there when Ella met Cinderella or Emma plunged down Thunder Mountain. I have looked through them several times now, and something jumped out at me. Allie looks in one of 2 directions in pictures. 1 straight toward the camera like the ham her mother and aunt are or 2. toward her sisters. I can't help but consider what this says about our nature when we are most teachable and when we are most vulnerable. She had been thrust into a different world, quite literally, and in that space needed a point of reference. She needed to find what felt like home. She needed to feel safe while enjoying the newness. So, she looked toward her big sisters who have served as teachers and comforters in the 24 months of her life. Her eyes seem to ask a thousand questions: Is this OK? Why does everything look so different? Why are you so excited? Can you tell me that I'm safe? Why are we waiting so long? Why are you tired? What are we going to do next? When do we go home? How do I take some of this home with me?

What does that say about discipleship? Who are we looking toward as we navigate our journey with the Lord? When do we look at them? Are we in situations that feel foreign enough to need a reference point? Are you uncomfortable? Do you have people that the Lord uses to give you a sense of safety when you don't feel safe?








Soundtrack: It's a Small World Afterall