Back To Back

I had a thought while in class the other night. We watched a clip from Soul Surfer, in the clip a girl convinces a boy to get back in the water after a bad storm. She stood on the edge and beckoned to the child, step by step showing him it was safe to come in the water. Soon, everyone was in the water, laughing and playing.
Sometimes, I feel like God does the same thing. That he stands  at the next step in our journey, calling out to us, showing us it is safe.
But he isn't confined to that one place, he is able to be all places at once. Thinking of that reminds me of two of my fondest memories, memories I hold dear to the way a child remembers their favorite toy growing up, or the dog they grew up with. They explain my view of God being in all places quite well in my own mind. These are tales of two of my best friends, Kevin Fuller and Carrie Ann Wible.
The first is actually about how I met Kevin. We were both attending the same camp, and the crazy guy got so excited about camp and everything that was going on that he got dehydrated. I was in his cabin, so we sat together at the campfires. He asked if he could lean on me and I said sure... Was I unprepared. I had never had someone actually use me for support before, they always make it look easy in the movies. Kevin was my size, and heavier in muscle mass. But, I'm loyal and understanding of how drained he was, walking back to the cabin with Kevin leaning on me was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I walked beside him, the only thing between him and basically crawling. God does that, he stands beside us, one on each side. He's cool like that, he helps us over things, guides us through safer paths, and holds our weight when we can't hold our own.
Now the story about Carrie Ann happens at the same camp, almost 5 years later. She and I were dating at the time, and both working at the camp. We had just had a disagreement, and had both needed to cool down. We made up, and ended up going and sitting at the lakeside. Now, working at a Christian camp of course we couldn't cuddle up and stare off into the sunset. But, we did sit back to back. I love doing that, with anyone. There's something special about it, you're trusting that person to watch your back, for support so you don't fall over, and there's a chance foe intimacy that isn't a regular thing between people. We talked, shared our days, laughed, and enjoyed being together and looking at the lake. God has our back, he's there watching out for the things we can't see coming, and we can talk with him intimately and personally.
So, God beckons us to new adventures and closer walks with him, he stands by each of our sides to guide us along the path and to carry us when we're weak, and he stands at our back defending us from the past and from the things we can't see. He's there for us.
Right now, I'm not madly in love with God. Now, before you stone me :)
This is a realization I need, because relationships take time... And I'd rather be honest and say I like God and I looking to pursue a relationship with him, then lie and say I love him when I don't yet. I want to though... Deep down my soul churns and longs for that time when I know him, and trust him fully, and love him regardless of the day. One day at a time.