Psalm 37:4
My seven-month-old son grounds his legs on the wood floor and braces his arms against the step that leads to the kitchen. He throws his head back and “wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” That single step remains his obstacle to joining me in the kitchen.
I’m still so excited and proud to simply watch him crawl and sit up on his own. That milestone alone took him about three weeks of daily practice. I am in awe of his determination (or is it impatience?) to move from one milestone to the next. I am trying to convince him to enjoy crawling for awhile before conquering steps.
Just like moms look for and celebrate their babies’ physical development during the first 24 months, I think God delights in the “spiritual” milestones that His children – the family of believers- conquer as well. Heaven throws a party when someone accepts the gift of salvation, and it continues when believers begin to bear fruits of the spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness and self-control.
What is my next step? Although I’ve been giving God many suggestions of things I could do to further His Kingdom, I have finally decided to be at peace with not knowing how He wants me serve Him at this moment. Sometimes God makes the next step clear and other times He doesn’t. Sometimes there’s a temptation to overcome, or an obedience test — more “milestones” before the next assignment comes.
What I do know is that I have a desire to grow, and when I “delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) is one good way to make that happen. This is one of my favorite verses. It means not that the Lord will give you anything you want as you grow in relationship with him, but as you grow in relationship with Him, His desires for you become your desires. You will desire exactly what He desires for you.
For today, it is enough for me to bask in God’s love and study His scriptures. Likewise, my son has found delight in crawling. When he is ready to step up, I’m certain that he will do it. When I am ready to step up, or out, in service, God will open a door.