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I
knew it was going to happen. It came at absolutely no surprise.
After
watching my daughter contemplate her options I recognized the self-assured,
overly confident look of fierce determination in her expression. She was
not going to utilize the steps and stair rails to get off the play set.
She was going to try to step off the ledge … a very tall ledge … especially for my
petite two-year old. She had watched her brother take the ledge with ease
and being my child … she was determined to prove herself just as capable.
But, she
fell … flat on her face. As I rushed to comfort her I felt the Lord
seeking to take me deeper as He often does via many of the simplest moments in
my life.
It is tough
for me to take the steps, but it’s even harder for me to use the stair
rails. I immediately take to the ledge to jump and stretch beyond safe
measure instead of utilizing the assistance and aid that the Lord provides me
via the steps and stair rails. Sometimes it’s a result of pride and
impatience, but most often it’s a direct result of choosing to rely on myself
versus choosing to rely on God.
Stair
Rails: a barrier protecting pedestrians from falling off the edge of the
stairs or landing.
Steps: the course along which a person has walked or is walking; stairs; a stage or a
process; the act of putting one foot in front of the other.
God is
seeking to support and balance us as we ascend and descend through the
precarious moments in our life. He does not want us to fall flat on our
face seeking to accomplish His assignment through our own strength. He
provides us with steps and as we spend time invested in His Word. He
establishes a stair rail (His Spirit) along our stairwell to help us to pace
ourselves, prevent us from falling off the edge, and provide us with an ability
to quickly regain our balance if we should slip or stumble. Stair rails
provide us with leverage to improve and enhance our journey so that we are not
completely winded and taken out by the excruciating amount of steps we may have
to endure.
So, today
choose to go the route God has prescribed for you and utilize the stair rails
(His Spirit) as a means to support your journey. Our Father is there to
comfort us during and after each fall, but how much more empowering is it to
know that He does not expect us to leap off the edge? He’s OK with
us taking the steps … no matter how small, insignificant, or unnecessary they may
seem. He wants us to take the steps so that we are afforded His help.
He knows that our stairwell tends to get cluttered and the likelihood of
us encountering wear and tear, slippery surfaces, sharp corners, and dim
lighting during the course of our journey is prominent … which is why it’s not
enough just to take the steps … we need to use the stair rails as a source of
balance, support, and assistance.
“But
God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive.”
Psalm
54:4 (NLT)
Ashley Ivery is a single mother of two
brilliant children, Aiden and Devyn, with an overwhelming desire to empower
women and help them to realize the importance of a relationship with God.
Through her writing she hopes to encourage women to claim their
strength and value in Christ. Ashley serves as the Residential
Listing Partner for Team Harris Real Estate. She graduated from 
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