Some years ago, a reporter in Afghanistan asked a young woman how she felt about always having to walk a few paces behind her husband. She replied, “Oh, I’m glad to. There are so many mines hidden in the ground around here!”

I’m not encouraging letting others meet with destruction, so we don’t have to. But this woman had unearthed a good principle—that those who’ve gone before us can understand and guide us through what we’re going through. And when we follow their guidance, they protect us from taking steps (making decisions) that lead to destructive traps and explosives set by the enemy of our souls.

Even better, we have One who’s not only gone before us, He never messed up, made a wrong move, got Himself into trouble, or brought about harm to Himself or others through wrong motives. Better yet, He doesn’t just call out to us from way ahead, saying “Try to follow in my footsteps the best you can, so you don’t get hurt! Good luck!” Instead, He offers His hand to us to lead us safely and surely through every obstacle and danger, to get us where we need to go, unscathed and whole.

As Heb. 4:14-16 puts it, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

In other words, He’s been through and can identify with every trial and temptation we experience, without wrong action, attitude, or inaction when needed. This means He did it all right.

We would expect someone who did and does everything perfectly to be proud and judgmental toward those of us who don’t get it right. But, if that were the case, that person would be sinning by having pride, arrogance, and a judgmental attitude.

Jesus is “without sin”, therefore He isn’t proud or arrogant. He doesn’t distance Himself from us or judge us for our weaknesses. “Perfect”, self-righteous, people will never offer their hand to those they consider inferior, “less than”, faulty, too weak, etc. They have no patience or tolerance for that and would rather not “dirty” themselves by connecting with those who could sully their reputation or “pollute” their mind and heart through association. In Jesus’ day, many (not all) of the Pharisees were like this—they did so well at keeping the written Law, which was great, but their pride and harshness toward “sinners” showed they didn’t keep the spirit of the Law. Be careful, though, to not look down on or harshly judge those we consider “Pharisees”, or we’ll be guilty of the same proud attitude!

Jesus described Himself as “…gentle and humble in heart…” (Mat. 11:29)—meaning He’s patient, kind, empathetic, not looking down on us for our weakness, confusion, or temptations we go through.

Ps. 103:13-14 assures us, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our form; He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.”

The Lord does judge sin. But He makes a way for us to not sin or get into trouble and suffer the consequences.

That’s why we’re encouraged to approach Him with confidence to receive all the mercy and grace we need (Heb. 4:16) when we’re going through hard times, hard decisions, and any kind of temptation to think or do wrong.

He who has gone before us through every minefield possible, dodging all the mines, and knowing where the enemy has hidden each one, offers His hand to lead us safely through life without harm. He does so willingly and gladly because He loves us. What good parent doesn’t offer their hand to their little children when crossing a busy street or navigating dangerous territory? No child in their right mind would refuse that. If they try, the parent will grab their hand and hold onto it, even if the child screams and tries to wiggle away.

Our Abba Father won’t force us to hold onto His hand, because He’s given us free will. But any child of His in our right mind will take His outstretched hand wherever we go.