Sweet Adventures

Recently, I spent a rainy day Monday with Con Bon. We stayed warm and cozy inside and found some fun things to do for entertainment, including playing a game of Candy Land. We each picked our colored gingerbread man, and off we went!

“Connor, what did you draw?”

“Blue!”

“You get to move ahead two blue squares. Let’s count them. One, two!”

Back and forth we went. Orange squares, green squares, yellow squares, blue squares. One square, two squares, and every once in a while, one of us got a special treat. The ice cream cone, the peppermint, or the lollipop. We didn’t totally follow the rules, though. We ignored the part about skipping a turn if you land on an X. We didn’t go backwards either. We did, however, take shortcuts if we landed on one. After all, Connor is only 2 ½. I wanted it to be fun.

Eventually, we both arrived at King Kandy’s Castle and did a victory dance with our gingerbread men. Such is life in Candy Land.

Real life not so much. Can I get an amen? Some days, our path is smooth hopping – two squares at a time, jump, jump, jump. Easy peasy. Other days, it feels like we’re stuck in quicksand and getting nowhere. We draw cards with an X one after another. We go backwards. Lord have mercy! Those are the days that nothing in our life path feels remotely sweet. It’s just one roadblock after another. Disappointments. Setbacks. Loss. Frustration. Even at times despair.

In one of my favorite Psalms, God says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” That gives me such hope. No matter what’s coming, whether it’s a lollipop card, or an X, or a shortcut, God’s with me, holding my hand and leading the way.

I know the story has a great ending. Someday, I’ll make it to that candy castle where “He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” (Rev 21:4) It’s gonna be an epic party!