Who’s Steering Your Cart?

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you (Psalm 32:8, NLT).

Over the past couple of years, one of my favorite things about spring and summer has been planting flowers in my window boxes on the front of my house!

One particular “pro tip” that I’ve picked up over the last couple of years is following the “thriller, filler, and spiller” concept of designing window boxes, or when creating any flower pot design, for that matter. As described by experts on loveyourlandscape.org, Great designs include a “thriller,” a tall plant usually with a strong statement of form and color, “filler” plants that fill the space hiding the soil, and “spillers” that weep over the edge of the pot1. With this concept in mind, my friend and I headed out to Lowe’s one weekend to find the perfect flowers to fill my window boxes.

We arrived at Lowe’s, found ourselves a cart, and started making our way through the outdoor area looking for flowers that would fulfill each of the three requirements needed for a great design. Now that I’ve learned more about plants and their specific care over the last couple of years, I’ve grown to enjoy this activity more than I ever have before.

Walking through the aisles, we talked about colors, the need for finding plants that love shade (the front of my house faces north and doesn’t get much direct sun at all), and how we would mesh specific plants to create a beautiful design for my house.

After spending much longer than we anticipated at Lowe’s, we checked out and loaded the car with our “thrillers” and “fillers.” Still not finding all that we needed, it became evident that a trip to Walmart would be necessary to find the missing piece, “spillers,” to our design.

Anyone that’s been to Walmart knows the drill. When you walk in the door, you have to get a cart, because even though you have a list of items that you’re going in for, you almost always leave with more than what you planned on buying (that’s one of the reasons I try to stay away as often as possible!). Trying to find a cart that rolls well and is easy to steer is not an easy feat to accomplish! This particular outing was no different.

After trying a couple of carts, I settled on one that stayed relatively straight when I pushed it, but there was definitely some increased resistance as the wheels were in serious need of WD-40.

After spending an hour, much longer than we anticipated, perusing the aisles of the outdoor area (and making our way over to the grocery section for a couple of necessary items, of course), we finally made our way to the checkout. That’s a story in and of itself when it comes to Walmart, right?

We stood in line with a cashier for a few minutes before recognizing it would likely be quicker for us to go through one of the self-check aisles. After several fiascos with missing barcodes and finicky credit card machines, we were finally making our way back to the car when I found myself struggling with the awkwardness of the cart. At that moment I looked up to see that my friend had reached out to grab the front end, guiding it and making it easier for me to keep it on a straight path.

In that moment, I kind of laughed out loud. As she looked back at me with a questioning look, I said to her, “I feel like this is a metaphor for my life. I’m always carrying around more than what I bargained for, struggling to keep things straight, but you’re always there, helping to guide and steer my cart so I can stay on track.”She smiled, I thanked her, and we continued to the car and headed back to my house to work on the window boxes.

Do you ever feel like your life resembles the grocery carts at Walmart? Regardless of the load, sometimes you just find yourself having difficulty staying on track, and you just need some help re-directing your path? I know I do.

I found a quote recently that really resonated with me and that’s perfectly applicable to this story. Thomas Adams is credited with saying, “He who sends the storms, steers the vessel”2. This quote parallels so well with the words written by David in Psalm 32, verse 8: The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for a God who places people in our lives who can help us when we’re struggling.

Life can be hard. Often, we don’t have a cart that steers as easily as we’d like. We’re faced with difficult circumstances, and stressful situations that make it difficult to stay on the path God is calling us toward. When I get the cart with squeaky wheels that doesn’t steer well, I just take it back and exchange it for another. That works and is totally acceptable at Walmart, but life doesn’t work that way (or, it shouldn’t, at least). Instead of seeking exchange when life is difficult, that’s when we’re called to lean on Jesus and allow Him to direct our course.

Though I am so very grateful for this dear friend who provides spiritual guidance in my life on a daily basis, we are both aware that it is Jesus who fully knows our hearts, our desires, and most importantly, what we need when we’ve wandered off the straight and narrow path of His plan for our lives.

Whenever you find yourself drifting, remember that it is always Jesus who knows the best pathway for our lives. When we choose to place our trust in Him, especially when life gets really difficult to navigate, He will always guide our cart with grace, mercy, and love as He watches over us.

1. “TIPS FROM THE PROS FOR GREAT FLOWER POT DESIGN.” Thrillers, Spillers, and Fillers. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.loveyourlandscape.org/expert-advice/shrubs-and-flowers/plant-selection/thrillers-spillers-and-fillers/.

2. ChristianQuotes.Info. “Thomas Adams Quote – 6 Ways God Steers Christians through Storms: ChristianQuotes.info.” ChristianQuotes.info, December 29, 2019. https://www.christianquotes.info/images/thomas-adams-quote-6-ways-god-steers-christians-through-storms/.