We Conquer Overwhelmingly
Toddlers, as they begin to pull themselves up and take their first steps, are only focused on following in the footsteps of the people around them. They see others standing on their feet and moving around. It is only natural for them to try to imitate what they see everyone else around them doing.
As the infant transitions into a toddler, not only do they begin to have more control over the movement of their bodies, but their brain is making connections, growing, and learning. They start to try new things, like standing up and walking, but they also want to eat what you eat and talk like you talk. However, these transitions take time to develop, which can be frustrating for both of you!
It’s frustrating for the toddler because they look at you and see how easily you do things. They can’t seem to get their bodies to move fluidly or their mouths to form the words, so they can get upset and throw tantrums. This is all the natural state of things and if we stop to think about it, we can as adults do the same thing when we try something new and the outcome is not what we expected.
As a parent, I remember how I couldn’t wait for my girls to start to walk, talk and feed themselves. These were milestones which I thought would never come. I never considered once they achieved them, how much my life would change. When they start to climb up on things, you suddenly start to think about the new things they can reach, like the TV remote. You realize the edge of the coffee table is a hazard and you watch them every second so you can catch them when they fall. You cut up their food into bite sized pieces because they insist on feeding themselves like we do. We are careful about the food we give them and often regret giving them the cup of applesauce, especially when we are still scrubbing it out of the carpet three days later.
A toddler isn’t thinking of the obstacles or dangers. They have only one focus, to model the behavior they see. They are determined and continue to are not thinking they might fall again or that the oven might be hot or that the spoonful of food won’t make it to their mouths.
This is the type of faith I desire. I want to be like the toddler who has no concept of the negative possibilities in front of me because my soul focus is to be in communion with God. I want to walk through life knowing God will be there to catch me when I fall and that he is protecting me from obstacles before me of which I am oblivious. Of course, like the toddler, I will fall and get bruises. I might touch a hot stove and have to cough up a piece of hot dog that gets caught in my throat. But these are only natural consequences I will suffer in order to reach my ultimate goal; to walk in the footsteps to Jesus!
