My little grandson, Logan, is just learning to walk. What a joy my grandchildren bring to my life! I especially love watching them try to master the milestone of walking. When Jayda, my granddaughter, was learning to walk we offered her car keys as an incentive and she wanted nothing to do with it. But when we offered a cookie, she gave it her all to try and get that cookie. Never underestimate the power of a cookie and a baby.
And so I've been watching little Logan learn to walk. I'm amazed at his perserverance. At first he had to work on standing. Day after day he would crawl over to the couch, pull himself up and just stand there holding on.
Once he had that mastered, he was onto the next stage. I think the baby experts call it "cruising". He would make sure that he had hold of something solid and he would walk around never letting go. He was brave as long as he had something to hold on to. And for the next few weeks he cruised.
Soon he would stand at the couch and look around. He knew instinctively that it was time to try take it to the next level, to walk by himself. Standing still was no longer enough. But he had a fear of falling.He needed encouragement. And he found that in the outstretched arms of his mom.
He didn't look any further than those waiting arms. He knew that those arms would protect him. He knew that if he did fall he would be picked back up again. He trusted those arms. And so he was ready to try. He took one step into those arms. Then another. Then another. And soon he was walking. Yes, he fell. At times he cried. But those loving arms were waiting. They picked him up, stood him upright, and he began again.
As I watched him walking, it reminded me of my walk on this journey. It has also been in stages. When I was first diagnosed, my only thought was just to stand still and hold on. But God didn't want me to just stand still. He asks me to trust Him and not be afraid. And He stretches out His loving arms and encourages me to walk to Him. I walk and I fall. And sometimes I cry. But, He picks me up, stands me upright and I begin again.
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your arms and with your right hand you save me."(Psalms 138:7)
Little Logan is still learning to walk. And you know, so is his grandmother. But we both know that the loving arms that reach out to us, will pick us up each and every time we fall.
