When my children were learning to walk, I would hold their hands and let them take steps with my support for awhile. Then I would wiggle out my finger from a clenched fist and let them go some more, with a little less support. After they figured out how to keep going forward more independently, I would wiggle out my other finger from their tight grip and grab the back of their shirt. Slowly I would start to take my hand off and let go. They teetered and leaned, and more often than not would eventually fall, but slowly and surely they learned to walk…all with me carefully watching over them. They didn’t always have a direction they were headed to, they were practicing their stability, and new ability all with my close watch.
Both my boys have learned to ride their bikes and watching them learn was a rather stressful process. I watched my husband run with them, holding on to their bike, helping them get a feel for it, dozens of times. Then one time he just let them go. He would run beside them, arms outstretched, but they were on their own. There were several falls and scrapes, and even more tears and cries of “I can’t do it!”. He kept trying, and kept making them try, and slowly but surely, they did it all on their own! They figured out how to balance and pedal, and go forward. They didn’t always know where they were going, but they were able to go on their own with my husbands comforting presence.
Just like a parent holding their child’s hand and slowly letting go as they toddle forward in their first steps, or letting go of the bike as your child careens onward; God pushes us on to new and scary things. He created us with purpose and gives us opportunities to step out in faith and DO it. Sometimes it’s not about just doing the big thing, it’s about the process of learning how to get to a place of where we can do the big thing. Teetering along with his arms ready to catch when we inevitably fall. Helping us back up and encouraging us to do it again.
I’ve often struggled with the idea of purpose in my life. I wanted this one end all-be all THING that I was supposed to do, or be about.
As a door closed, or a possibility didn’t pan out, or we were redirected, or another decade passed by; I started to realize maybe that’s not what God had in mind for purpose.
I’m beginning to see that maybe purpose looks more general at times; like love Him and love others. And sometimes it looks more specific, like a whisper to offer grace to my child in the midst of discipline.
I’m also learning that sometimes you can have all the talent, gifting, passion, and capability to serve and live out a specific purpose, and yet God may redirect you in a way that doesn’t always make much sense.
I’m learning that purpose looks less like the big picture and more like every day details.
Like being intentional and worshipful with the must dos and mundane, like dishes and laundry or lesson plans and reports…that’s living with purpose.
Like being open to how He wants to use you as you go throughout your day: in the school, in the workplace, helping with homework, or rocking the baby back to sleep for the 7th time…that’s living with purpose.
Like loving Him and being able to love others because you love Him; even in the midst of that nerve grating phone call or cantankerous interaction…that’s living with purpose.
Like being able to move on with Him when He says no to where you thought He had been taking you. Being patient in the waiting room and continuing to be obedient in the seemingly small and everyday (like prayer, worship, being in the Word, loving well, being thankful, and serving)…that’s living with purpose.
Our purpose is to glorify Him, and I’m finding obedience in the small and insignificant takes more effort and intention than obedience in the big and life altering.
We toddle forward with Him holding our hands over and over and it becomes more comfortable and natural, and He beings to let go, and let us try our new abilities out on our own. Sometimes we fall and get scraped up. But we get up, and try again, and what once was big and hard seems natural and ingrained. I think it’s less about where we’re going and more that we’re able to stay up, to make progress.
When I’m used to glorifying Him in the small seemingly everyday and relying on His presence, doing it in the big, scary and life changing seems natural.
Do the Hard Thing and Live Your Life with purpose today, knowing every moment has been God ordained and is an opportunity to glorify Him. Obedience in the small, is preparation for obedience in the big.
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This post is part of the #write31days challenge hosted by The Nester.
Click here to read all the posts in the 31 days of Doing the Hard Thing series.
