Samuel Dean Chancey began crawling this past Wednesday April 1st, and that is no April Fools Day. This kid rocks, he has been trying to crawl for only a short while. As I was watching my son attempt this new talent of his, I began to think of myself and my relationship with God. Sammy like just about every other child at this age reaches for Lisanne or myself when we are anywhere near him. I mean we could be 50 feet away and he will still want us to pick him up. Now this would pose a problem when he began crawling, and reminded me of how I am with God at times in my relationship to my heavenly father.
Once Sammy realized he could go, he started going backwards, and although he wasn't moving towards us, we knew he was trying with all his heart. His goal in mind was there, it was the ability in him that was untrained. So what did we do as parents? Did we say give up, forget it, try tomorrow....No! We encouraged him to keep going, maybe it is not always the end goal to be right, or do things exactly as they are supposed to be done. So he kept going backwards, at home under the recliner, and at school under the baby beds. This went on but I noticed he never gave up. He did get frustrated....I wonder where he gets that from? Sammy kept up his hard work. I must say this, the kid is solid as a rock, and hopefully will be a stout fella.
So as we encouraged and cheered and laughed watching this phenomenon, one day (April 1st) he took a move forward and not backward. Now he was going one step/crawl at a time, and that wasn't it. He would move about a foot, stop and sit up, then look at Lisanne or myself and reach for us as if he were saying to us, "OK now that I have gone this far I want you to pick me up and take me to the place I am going." Of course as a good parent would we picked him up.....but then I realized I need to allow him (allow is the operative word here) to crawl to me. I need to give him the opportunity, and if I continue to pick him up he will never learn.

He got frustrated every time he started to crawl and the more he learns to do this, the less he complains. He knows that we will be there when he is done, as well he has more and more confidence in himself. I would have to say that our presence is what helps him with his confidence. Just as the presence of God helps us in our confidence. God always has had a way of allowing me to learn on my own, without him coming along and being a miracle performer. Rather he has been a heavenly parent to me, as I have learned to crawl and walk in this Christian life. See God wants us to rely on him and know that he is there, he also wants us to learn more about our abilities, talents, strengths and weaknesses. Without us experiencing these things in life we will be hard pressed to understand Jesus life, much less our own.

I think allot of times through out my life I have expected God to come to me, to pick me up, and help me so that I can get to those places he desires me to be. He does do this in a way, but He also allows me to sometimes do things in a way that he may not choose. But for him to intervene all the time and keep me from gaining a better understanding of my situations, would mean that I would never learn.

Here is my point with all this. God wants me to grow, the start with a crawl, then a walk, as well begin running. God knows my path and where I will end up, but it is up to me to put one foot in front of the other, it is up to me to keep on going even if I feel like I am moving in the wrong direction. God has a plan for all of us, and wants nothing more than for my life to be something that gives him Glory and Honor. As long as he is my focus and I am reaching for him, he will be there, and the funny thing is even when I get out of focus he is there all the same.

So take what you will from this, and ask God what it is he wants you to do today. It may be a simple crawl, but then again it may be a leap of faith in the great unknown.
Thanks for reading <><,
Brett E. Chancey