The Fam and I went to the park yesterday afternoon. After walking a few minutes, Little Bit noticed the strategically placed playground located a few feet ahead of us. She immediately got excited and exclaimed she wanted to play. The Hubs and I were all for it! So we let her run ahead of us to the playground. There was a huge slide in which you had to climb the stairs, go around the corner, crawl up a hole and another set of steps to slide down. I asked Little Bit if she wanted to slide. She very adamantly said no. I don't blame her.
After a few minutes of playing, I saw an area where she could climb up the bars onto the next set of play equipment. We have decided it is time for her to learn how to climb. I am not too sure she agreed, though. We talked her through step by step on how to get up to the top. Daddy stood at the top so she could constantly see him. I was right behind her reassuring her she could do it. She got to a point where both of her feet were on a rung and her hands were one step ahead of her. She wasn't sure how to get to the next step. So I told her she needed to place her hands on the next rung and take a step up. She wasn't too sure of that. She looked at me and in her sweet little whine, cried "come here" (her way of saying "pick me up"). I placed my hand on her so she would know I was still there and continued to coach her on how to get to the top. For this being her first time climbing this kind of object, she was doing a great job.
That was until she came to a point where the contraption evened out and went horizontal instead of diagonal. She actually started to get scared. She wasn't crying, but she was headed for it. It was then that Daddy reached out his arms to Little Bit and took her into them. We realized she was no longer going to move unless by force. Didn't want to scar her for life.
That moment helped me realize that God does that for us. We might be climbing our own little jungle gym in life and get scared. But God is there reassuring us that He is still there. He has not left us. He will not leave us. He has promised us in Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be afraid of them; for He is the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
Sometimes it is hard to know that God is still there for us. There are times that we cannot feel His presence. But just because we can't feel Him doesn't mean He is not there. There are times that I cannot feel my husband sleeping next to me. But that doesn't change the fact that he is lying in bed with me. Just because we are not cuddling in bed doesn't mean he doesn't love me anymore. He still does.
It is just like that with Little Bit climbing. I was there the whole time. I didn't have my hand on her at all times, but I was there. There were times I had to reassure her with the touch of my hand or the sound of my voice. God does this with us, too. We may not be able to feel Him at all times, but He reassures us of His presence through different methods. It could be by a song, a verse, a phone call, or the soft breeze.
My husband tells me of times He is having a hard day. Things just aren't going right. But then he stops to pray. When he finishes his prayer and turns on his music player, a song will come on that helps him through the situation. Or He will open one of his Bible apps and the verse he needs will be the one that opens up.
Remember that God is in your corner cheering you on. You might doubt that you can reach the top of your jungle gym, but He is there reassuring you that you can. I wonder if God has pom-poms and He is shaking them in the air for us. He is our personal cheerleader!
And when we feel like we are getting stuck, not sure how to take the next step, He gladly shows us how to move on. We can find the directions in a Manual He has provided for us. He has given us the Bible.
Have you ever tried to build shelves that you bought from the store. I don't know about you, but I am not very fond of the directions they give in the box with the materials. Sometimes it seems easier to just try to build it myself. I remember one time doing that. I got the shelves built. They looked....okay. Not great. Two shelves were actually turned the wrong direction, and the nails in the back did not go in properly. I wonder if I would have just read the directions (or at least looked at the pictures), if it would have turned out better. I will never know. In life, it is easier to just read the manual.
We will always have to climb jungle gyms in life. It is inevitable. Just know while you are climbing that God is still there. He has not left you. He is your biggest cheerleader. He wants you to succeed. And He has the steps you need to get there.
We can make it to the top of our jungle gym of life only By God's Amazing Grace.
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