...Taking Baby Steps

My husband was supposed to come home at 6 for dinner. He called and said it would be more like 7. That was 5 hours ago and he still isn't home. His shift should end at midnight but I have a feeling it's an overtime kind of night. So...I have time to write. And I want to share something cool with you, something I hope touches your day tomorrow (as I'm sure most of you are sleeping right now and won't read this until tomorrow anyway).

My daughter is one. She just had her birthday at the end of October. Miss La La (it's a nickname, email me if you want the story) is full of sass and sweetness. She thinks she is already grown up, and as soon as she can talk, I know we are going to hear, "No, Mamma. I can do it." She already tells us that in her own way.

Though La La may be confident and self aware, one thing she is not is a risk taker. She is cautious and observant. If something makes her uncomfortable, she stops and assesses it. In the last two days Miss La La has started to walk. Only a few steps, but the fact she has gotten the confidence to let go of our hand and risk falling is wonderful to see! She is deciding to try and take a risk.

Tonight I noticed she was thinking about scaling the gap between a toy and a basket. She looked thoughtful, and hesitant. So I blocked her path to the basket and began cheering her on. She stood for a little while and I cheered "Yes!". Then she took a step and hesitated. "Yes! You can do it!" Another step. "Yes!" I cheered yes until she had suddenly taken five steps on her own, right into my arms. Her big blue eyes were bright and excited. She did it!

In that very moment I heard a sweet voice whisper, "I cheer for you too." How cool is that? My God cheers for me! And in the moment, as my little girl wandered off to play with other toys, and Winnie the Pooh blared on the TV in the background, I pondered what that could mean. How the heck did I get that message from God. Then it dawned on me.

How many times in our lives does the Lord cheer us through our baby steps? How many times do we go in a direction and He cheers, "Yes!"? How many times do we ignore His encouragement, and how many times do we not see it at all?

This last year has been really hard for me. If you've read the My Story section of the blog you already know. And I realized tonight, that in the same way I cheered for my daughter to concur her fears and take another step, He cheered us on through that whole horrible year.

I may not have heard an actual booming voice from above yelling "Yes!" (I'm kind of glad I didn't because in my emotional state, my heart would have seriously exploded from the shock) but I should have seen the things He was doing as a sign that He was cheering for us. We were taking baby steps to get us through the job hiring, through academy, through a new baby, new town, new house...all the while He was cheering us through each hard, difficult step.

We were financially having difficulties before my husband got his Trooper job. The Lord finally got us out of our own way and cheered "Yes!" as my husband got the job. In faith we continued through the process and each day that I took a breath, each day my baby lived, He cheered "Yes!". When I checked our banking and expected to be overdrawn, there was always a little left. He provided our finances and in that way He was cheering for us. When our baby came into the world and my husband left to go back to academy, through every ounce of leftover energy in my body, God cheered for us. We were stationed in the western part of Montana, He cheered "Yes!". We found the perfect house at the perfect time and He cheered "Yes!" All these little blessings were encouragements to keep trying, to keep stepping forward, keep moving until we were finally where He wanted us.

I don't believe in any way God owes us a perfect life. I don't believe we deserve to get through life without hardships and trials. I absolutely don't believe we should be shielded from every difficulty and I definitely don't believe it's God's fault that we do go through difficulties. I don't believe this because I know He is faithful and now I know that through all of our difficulties, He cheers us on to keep taking those steps forward. He has a plan. He will get us through.

As a parent, my heart soars when I see my little girl try at something and succeed. Can you imagine God does the same when we try and succeed? Can you picture me sitting on the floor, cheering for my baby girl as she stumbles along? Now can you picture our God doing the same?

Photo Credit: anissat/stock.xchng

In the last year, through all my struggles, I was so dumb not to see His encouragement. I knew we were on the right path, but when I doubted it, I never thought to look at the things He was providing as evidence of the right direction. We were stumbling along, unsure, insecure, and fearful. And the whole time, the Lord stood in front of us, in the direction He had set up, cheering, coaxing, and encouraging us forward. I wish I could have seen it then.

I want to encourage you in your baby steps, whatever they may be, that HE IS CHEERING FOR YOU! He is coaxing you forward as a parent teaches a child to walk. He is excited to see you succeed. Keep trying! Keep stumbling along! But find a renewed spirit knowing He has gone before you, cheers for you, and revels in your success! You are His child...and He is your exuberant, expectant, hopeful Father.

It's 12:12 and my husband is home. It wasn't an overtime night after all. Tonight I am thankful, humbled, and happy. I'm glad I have this blog to share with you. I pray you find encouragement in this post. Please never doubt your purpose or your ability to succeed. You will get through your difficulties, and you have an amazing Lord cheering for you through it all. Be blessed as you take your baby steps through life!