Breadcrumbs

Do you remember the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel? There are lots of aspects to the story, but the part that I’ve been thinking about recently is the breadcrumbs. You see, when Hansel and Gretel were forced to go into the woods, Hansel left a trail of breadcrumbs to help them find their way back home. Of course, the breadcrumbs were eaten by the forest animals and the story took a nasty turn, but let’s just ignore that part for a moment… The idea that I want to focus on is the fact that the breadcrumbs provided a trail marker – a path – a reminder that was meant to help the children find their way back home.

The first part of this year has been pretty eventful – not always in a good way – and I’ve had a few opportunities to question God. Sometimes I’ve wondered where He was leading us and other times I’ve wondered if He might have just forgotten about us altogether. In my heart, I know that He will never leave us or forsake us. But, when faced with uncertain circumstances, my thinking and my emotions don’t always line up with my heart. Sometimes I feel far away from God, and sometimes I wonder if I can even remember how to find my way back to that place of faith and peace and comfort that can only be found in the arms of my Heavenly Father. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve stayed away too long and forgotten the way back home…

But, over the past couple of weeks, we’ve experienced amazing protection from a couple of potentially dangerous situations, and we’ve seen provision for some financial concerns that had been weighing heavily on our minds, and we’ve seen several other things happen that made us go “Hmmmm…” Some might say that it was just lucky coincidence, but I believe that it was God leaving breadcrumbs for me –unexpected reminders of how much He cares – little things that let me know that He had already gone before me to prepare the way – tidbits that were carefully dropped at just the right place and just the right time to gently lead me back home to the loving arms of my Heavenly Father.

If you’re struggling today – if you feel like you’re lost and can’t find your way back home – look for the breadcrumbs that God has left for you along the way. They may be tiny, and they may be hard to recognize in the darkness of the woods, but I’m sure that they are there. Let them draw you back to that place of faith and relationship with the One who knows everything about you but still loves you unconditionally and is waiting with open arms for you to come back home to Him…