At the Right Time
My fourteen-month-old son is full of energy and just learned to walk! This milestone has brought me so much joy, but as a first-time mom I got worried that he was not developing fast enough. He was a fearless crawler since he was seven-months-old, yet he was still afraid to walk on his own. These motherly fears became an annoying enemy in my mind; I focused so much on what my son doesn’t do that I began to miss out on the many great things he does do correctly. Yet when I watch my son toddling around on his tiny feet holding my hand or wobbling to the furniture, he doesn’t look concerned or worried about his “development timeline”, he just giggles over every new step.
This reminds me of how important it is to embrace the moment and not rush ahead of myself. There are many things I would love to accomplish in life, but sometimes I feel left behind. With a toddler and the hope of having more children in the next few years, I feel like my own personal goals of writing books and speaking will be put off for a long time or never achieved. The piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and sleepless nights when my son gets a cold all seem to be a “distraction” from what I really want to achieve. But then again, I realize these are not distractions at all but the main point for the story of my life.
As a child, my father always reminded me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
This truth from the Bible has been an anchor in my life through many storms, but I now see it in a different light as a parent. Just when I think I need to rush ahead and knock down doors for my dreams to be fulfilled, God reminds me that He is my loving heavenly Father who never wants to rush me because He wants to make sure that my feet are firmly planted on the ground and ready to take the next step. Just as I would love for my son to walk confidently on his own right now, I don’t want to push him too fast or he will get hurt and not trust me. So, God also wants to make sure that He doesn’t push me too fast because He knows how much I can handle right now and would not want to prematurely rush me into a new season that would hinder my trust in Him.
So remember, that just when we think we are behind and not fulfilling the plans we have for our lives, that is when we can look up to heaven and hold tight to our Father’s hand knowing that He will take us to the next step at the right time. His timing and love are perfect.
