Walk and Run!

Walk and Run!

With loving, eager expectation I watched and enjoyed every milestone passed by my precious baby, Elisabeth. I diligently recorded each one, I savoured the moments, I treasured the memories they created and I took photos. From 10:47pm, on the day she was born, when into my arms was placed the most beautiful baby I had ever seen, my first born, I cherished the special times. With a heart full of a love I had never known before, I adored each stage of her development. From her birthweight and her length, to her growth each week and month, to her first sweet smile, her first cute laugh, the eating of solids, her first tooth, her first lisping words, crawling and walking; I kept written in her pretty baby book.

Lying on her tummy, kicking her legs and trying to push forward, at 7 months of age, we soon anticipated Elisabeth’s ability to crawl. Over the next few weeks, my husband and I encouraged her development, placing some toys just outside her reach. She would gaze longingly at them, kick her feet rhythmically and then reach for a closer toy. Excitement mounted, our baby was very close now, she had just turned eight months and Elisabeth reached for her white handled rattle, which was just beyond her grasp and suddenly she was off. With a propelling motion, she took her first crawling slither but alas, she started to cry. This was not at all as she had desired. Instead of moving forward to joyfully grasp her rattle, she had taken her first crawl, backwards, and away from the wanted object. Her frustration increased over the week and she tried again and again and always with the same lack of success and in reverse she would go. Then one day she moved forward, with one crawling motion, then another and another and with new found freedom she was off to explore her world. 

At ten months of age Elisabeth pulled herself up by the lounge and stood. Now she could reach the  cat sleeping soundly, any books placed out of her reach, and if she stepped sideways she could make her way along the lounge to piles of folded clothing. Around furniture she walked, as she clung on tightly, by cupboards and drawers and around my legs. However, standing and holding on to walk was one thing, letting go and taking that first step was something else, so down she would drop again, onto her roughened knees, and continue her fast paced crawl. Ten months passed, eleven months passed and now she was twelve months old with a systematic crawl that could transport her to anywhere she desired and at a speed she desired. 

It was summer in Australia and holiday time. Our family planned a camping trip to explore the southern inland country regions of our state. We arrived at the sleepy town of Yass and set up our family tent under an Australian pine tree. It was a hot and dusty camp site and the tree provided a cool shady spot. Elisabeth had been alternating between sleeping and cheerfully sitting in her car seat on the long drive. Now the tent was up and a small, plastic blue tarpaulin was placed in front of it and she was awake and could enjoy some play time on the tarpaulin. This was wonderful to her, a whole new environment just waiting to be explored. Toys were discarded in favour of crawling across the heavy sheet of plastic and reaching her hand speedily to the dried, brown pine needles that blanketed the ground. She sat and picked them up, gazing at them and  allowing the needles to drop between her fingers back to the ground below. Her eyes searched the area and she discovered there were more, over there. She set off to crawl across the crackling, dry pine needles, but they prickled her bare knees. She stopped. She tried again, but they continue to spike at her. That’s when Elisabeth took her first unaided steps forward. She stood, unassisted and walked one step, two step and down she went. Up again, one step, two step, three steps and down. My husband and I cheered her on, encouraged her, laughed and smiled and told her how clever she was. At twelve months of age she had finally walked and  she continued to do so throughout our entire holiday. There seemed to be no stopping her, until we arrived back home once more. There was her familiar house, there was her soft brown carpet and the majority of her colourful toys. Instead of walking, she dropped to her knees and took off at a rapid crawl. No prickles, spikes or discomfort. Crawling was fun, but was it? She stopped and sat and thought about it. Then up she stood once more, and purposely, she walked. She was never to crawl again. Our beautiful baby was walking. 

This morning, when in my time with God I thought about a few wrongs a person had inflicted upon me. Then God gave great conviction to me, as He brought to my mind a wrong I had done to her.  It seemed so huge to me. I was repentant  as I spent time with God in prayer and with a new perspective of humbleness, I started my day. I contacted my best friend and shared my experience from God that morning, only to discover she too had had the exact same experience.” I don’t like this feeling of discomfort, that God is bringing my way, “ I bemoaned. She agreed whole heartily but we knew it was of the Lord, who was taking us on a journey forward into a deeper place with Him. It made me think of my daughter learning to walk. How often we desire a deeper experience with Him, yet instead of going forward towards Him, we feel like we are going backwards and in helplessness we cry out to Him. Bit by bit we learn how to grow in Him and now we are crawling forward, learning more of Him each day. Then there are moments of unpleasantness as the prickled needles of the Holy Spirit’s work of cleansing our soul goes deep within us. Will I get up from discomfort and walk in Him? Will I let go of anything I am holding onto? Will I run? Will I dance and twirl and live a joyous, victorious Christian life in Him? 

Col 2:6 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

Eph 4:1,2 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.”

Heb 12:1 “…. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”