My little Noah turned 3 months old on Tuesday. That same day he decided to roll over for the first time when I was away at book study. I was pretty sad that I missed this “first” for him, but reminded myself that I’ll get to see him do it many more time.
The next day, I watched as he worked so hard to get his body to cooperate with his goals. The look of concentration on his face was priceless. When I laid him down on his back, he would push with his foot and easily roll over onto his side, making great strides towards his belly. Then, he came to a halt as his pesky arm got in the way. :)
He pushed harder! He wouldn’t give up. He had made up his mind. He had been working towards this for weeks…making strides, building up his muscles to get to this point. There was no going back! He just kept trying. He pushed as hard as he could, making all kinds of grunting noises, until finally he found the strength to push past this great obstacle called his own arm. :) He did it!
He proudly looked around in triumph...
As I watched Noah working so hard towards his goal, I wondered if I am that determined when it comes to my walk of faith. As I face obstacle in my everyday life, do I push past them to reach my goals and become the woman God created me to be?
As women (and a human beings in general) it is so easy to be held back by the pain of the past, the struggles of today, fear of failure and our own insecurities. We often let our feelings and emotions rule rather than allowing the strength of the Savior to guide us.
We will never push past these obstacles unless we start depending on HIS strength, rather than our own. We get so far, then get held back by our own “arm.” We push and push to achieve, but we’ll never make it to our goal (and His) without pushing with His strength in us! It’s not a sign of weakness to depend on Him. It takes flexing our faith muscles to keep pushing forward!
Jesus said, “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:23
What if little Noah would have given up? He would have never known what he is capable of. Noah kept building up those muscles, pushing until he found the strength inside, until he did it! At first, it was a little awkward. Even once he rolled over, his neck was weak, his head a little wobbly. After a couple of days and several more rollovers, his neck is strengthening. He could still be just lying there on his back, waiting for something to happen, but now…
He’s enjoying the view! A new found freedom!
The Enemy would love to keep us bound up by our own weaknesses! He wants us to give up, lying there completely helpless and ineffective, never reaching our full potential. He doesn’t want us to push past them, finding God’s strength within.
If we are Christians we already have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us (II Tim 1:14). That means that we have the strength in us to push past the lies of the Enemy, the circumstances of everyday life and our own feelings of inadequacy. We must learn to draw from the strength within, surrendering all to Him, knowing that we are dependant on HIS strength alone!
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Noah will continue to grow, learn and mature from here. With a little practice, before we know it, he will be sitting up, crawling, walking and even running! Things that seem impossible for him now, are within his reach if he just keeps pushing forward.
This journey of faith is ongoing for us as well, my friend. It will continue until we are, “…mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.” We are a work in progress. We will never “arrive” or get it perfect in this lifetime. Still we must move forward, strengthening our spiritual muscles, maturing in Christ.
We can't give up! We must keep turning to Him, asking for His strength and relying on it!!! The more we depend on His strength the more natural it will become. The possibilities are endless. Things that seem impossible are possible for us too…when we rely on His strength! Do you believe it?!
For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37
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Great post! And so true...we do have to keep pushing forward. I love it when you said about Noah that.."Things that seem impossible for him now, are within his reach if he just keeps pushing forward." That is a word for me sista! Thank you! :)
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Shelly
Thank you, Rachel, your words gave me courage to persist in a communication challenge. Noah is so darling!
ReplyDeleteAmen. Our pastor spoke on this today...that we cannot give up we have to try and train both in our walk with Christ and in life. Cute pictures, great analogy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog today and for the comment.
Love to meet new friends, especially Sisters in Christ.
Mimi
What a little honey Rachel!!! Love the moments of wonder and the light God sheds in our experiences. A great analogy...I use the term often, "pushing past"...it seems progress is never made unless we push past something.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating how many obstacles get in our way, and funny how so often it is some part of ourselves (Like Noah's arm!)
Blessings to you and you cute family!
Aw, what a little dumpling! If a baby can push forward over the obstacles, then why can't we? This was so encouraging, Rachel! You have a way with words...and babies! So happy to see your little guy rocking and rolling...
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