Thursday, April 22, 2010

A boost

My youngest daughter, Anna, is now 16 months old. She is very mobile and one of her favorite things to do is climb the stairs. She races over to them as fast as possible and then flies up them in a flash. Of course we are still concerned she will fall, so we try hard to have someone behind her as she goes up. We want her to learn how to climb stairs, so in case we aren’t there and she finds her way up someday, she will be able to do it safely. However, we also want to protect her from falling down.

Our four year old, Lilla, is particularly vigilant about staying with Anna on the stairs. She hovers over her as she slowly makes her way to the top. She is only slow at these times because Lilla is so close to her that she is practically holding Anna’s body down, just giving her enough room to get to the next step. Sometimes Anna tires along the way and you can see Lilla giving her a bit of boost on the bottom to make sure she makes it. Lovingly, Lilla painstakingly follows behind Anna to make sure that “my baby” (as she refers to her) makes it to the top ok.

As I watch this interaction, I can’t help but think how God sees his “babies” (us). He wants so much for us to reach the top of the stairs, the mountaintops in our lives, to fully receive all that He has for us. There are dangers, we sometimes miss a step, or slip down a stair or two, but God is always there protecting us and giving us a little push when we may need it. And don’t we all need it sometimes?

In Jeremiah 29:11, God said, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” I believe that is still true for us today. God has a plan for each of us, and each step in our lives is all a part of it.

I hope you feel His boost today.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thankfully I feel Him with me everyday.

Liz Mays said...

That analogy is just wonderful! It just hit the spot today. Thank you!

Janet said...

Love this! This is one of my favorite scriptures of all time!! I hope you don't mind but I'm going to be stealing part of this for my post today!

~Melody @ 6 Feet Over~ said...

That is my FAVORITE verse...and I need it, lean on it, speak it to myself on a regular basis.

I love your analogy. My almost 3 year old has a hard time with the stairs due to motor skill issues. I look at other kids her age and see how they zip zoom up and down the stairs. I sometimes feel bad for her (but she's doing great, so really, no need to feel bad for her) and then I think how she takes her time. She's learned to be more patient from it. She focuses on each step when most of us just go quickly without thinking.


Beautiful post!

~melody~

gail said...

Another lovely word picture! Thank you, Amy.

Sara @ Embracing Destiny said...

Great devotional thoughts! Thanks for sharing this.

I also mentioned your blog on my UBP After-Party post here:

http://embracingdestiny.blogspot.com/2010/04/ubp10-after-party.html

Rebecca said...

PRECIOUS!! love the analogy

tSeaJake said...

Hi Amy,
I came across your blog over at "with thankful hearts." I immediately got sucked in by your honesty and inspired posts. I look forward to following you! In your spare time come visit me at http://mommymumbojumbo.blogspot.com/

Blessings,
tara