Learning to Walk

When you watch a toddler learning to walk you notice the way he stumbles and falls, but at the same time in the back of your mind is a knowledge that this tripping and teetering is only temporary. You don’t look at the child and think “How terrible! This poor little thing is handicapped!” Often we even laugh right out loud at the awkward attempts and the stumbling which also testifies we know this is a temporary way to walk. We would never laugh if we thought this is how the child would always walk. No, we laugh because we know that within a few months the child will be running without the awkward flapping of arms and struggle to keep balanced. We watch the child with eyes that not only see what is, but eyes that know what will be.

That’s how God looks at us.

So why do we get so upset at ourselves, feel overwhelmed, and consider giving up as we learn to walk the path of righteousness? Yes, we stumble and sometimes we fall, but God looks at us like we look at the toddler. He sees what we are and He sees what we will be. He's as patient with us as we are with toddlers. He doesn't expect us to run the first time He stands us on our spiritual feet.

All we need to do is trust in Him, get back up when we fall, and continue on the path.