Learning to walk

I love watching little ones learn how to walk.  Those first wobbly steps are amazing!  Think of all the coordination, muscle toning, balance and whatnot having to come together to take even a single step.  Everyone present immediately turns their attention upon the little one in the room, cheering him on.  It's so exciting! "Come to Papa...walk, walk...that's the way...yeah, you did it!  Let's do it again :-)."

Everyone knows much practice is needed.  And everyone knows the little one will fall, but they encourage him nonetheless.  People help him up, cheer him on, and over time the falls become less frequent.  Soon enough there is a smooth and steady walker to chase around.  I have yet to witness anyone yelling at a little one taking her first steps, or labeling her a failure as she tries.  Nobody seems to get upset at her for falling down.  Maybe that is because we expect falling down is part of the process of learning how to walk.

Jesus chose me before the foundation of the world to belong to Him, and I woke up to that fact when I was fifteen.  Thirty two years later, I am still learning how to walk as a new creation in Christ.  It is a different walk altogether.  Chris Wilson, one of my pastors and long time friend, talked about how the old man doesn't go down easily in his sermon this past Sunday (you can listen to it here).  My personal experience affirms his point.  I still fall.  That's why verses like Romans 8:1 that tell me there is now no condemnation for those in Christ are precious to me.  They are the words of my Father helping me up, cheering me on, encouraging me to walk again.

Prov 24:16 says; "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again."  Christians fall down.  And sometimes the harder we try, the greater the fall.  It is incredibly good news that God adopted us based on the sacrifice and righteousness of Christ in our place.  He is our Father.  And He is the very BEST FATHER EVER.  He keeps holding out His grace-filled hands, calling us to "come to Father," and helping us back up when we fall so we can learn to walk.