I was discussing this reading (Nehemiah 9:16-20) with Dad and Laura last Sunday. The summarized point I came away with is that God is always with us, and is always pointing the way. We are the ones who are left, as always, to make the right choice. God can present pillars of cloud and fire all day long, and even throw in a couple of flashing neon signs saying "Over here," but we still have to pick up our feet and walk that way. And when the path is rocky and we stumble and think that this can't POSSIBLY be a part of God's plan, we have to stop and take a look around to make sure we're reading the road signs right, because the screw-ups in this world really AREN'T just part of some universal plan. God doesn't WANT us to be cruel and fight wars and hurt the people we care about. God loves us all, much more than we can possibly imagine. God's love is strong enough to forgive us no matter how far we stray-- as long as we recognize that we HAVE strayed, and ask God for directions back to the main road (as I've sugessted before in an extreme example, to some other people's indignance). The element of choice has always been an integral part of humanity's relationship with God. God gave us free will from the get-go, knowing full well that we were just as likely to run off and talk to snakes about fruit as we were to simply frolic and play in paradise. And through every bad choice we've made-- all the way from the apple in the garden to the hundreds and thousands of sins committed daily now-- God has been unfailingly patient, ready and waiting for us to adjust our bearings and get back on track. No matter what happens, God is with us all the way. In the face of such perseverance, how else can we show our gratitude but to follow the fire and cloud that God provides to show us the way? Now I know, as Dad always says, "It's more complicated than that." But surely TRYING cannot be so complicated. and as long as we try, eventually we'll get it right.