My one year old (GASP! I can’t believe he is one…) is trying to walk. This morning he grabbed a hold of the back of my legs and followed me from the kitchen into the living room. It was adorable. But also, a little bit annoying.

You see, for the past month, I have been trying to get him to wear some socks and shoes to help with that whole balance thing that he hasn’t completely figured out. But within minutes, he starts pulling off his socks and working off his shoes.

Kid! If you’d just keep those socks and shoes on…

But he doesn’t get it.

He just wants to walk. And be comfortable… In his own way.

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You know there are quite a few similarities to learning to physically walk and learning to walk with God. 

Faith is not something you just catch. It’s something you have to pursue. But here’s the good news, God has been pursuing you since you were created. And he’s not going to make you do it on your own. 

 If you claim to be a Christian, you recognized that, accepted this truth, and were baptized. But it doesn’t stop there. Learning to walk with Christ, is much like learning to walk. 

You don’t really know how, but when you first start the journey, you are eager. You stumble. You fall. But eventually something clicks, you start to figure it out… yet you still fall sometimes… like when you are going too fast or don’t see what’s on the ground in front of you. 

Maybe there are some people who have come along side of you to offer up some assistance, to pray for you, give you advice. Listen to that advice. 

I get it. It’s not really something you want to do… 

I’ve been here too many times to count. I just want to be walking faithfully with God. I want the peace of a life with Him. I want the blessings that come from a life aligned with Christ. I want the mutually beneficial relationships I see other Christians having.

But I don’t want to keep my socks and shoes on. I also want to be comfortable in this world. 

I don’t want to put the time into reading my Bible. I want to sleep in. I’m too busy. I don’t know where to start… All these excuses. But the truth is, it’s uncomfortable. And I want to be comfortable and still reap the benefits.

I want God to answer my prayers, but I don’t like the way it feels. I do all the talking. I just want things to go the way I planned. Since I’m not really in my Bible, I’m not really even sure my will is aligning with God’s…  

My sinful, human nature is selfish and greedy. I see what other Christians have and I want it for myself. When things don’t go my way, I revert to doing it all myself again… I don’t see all the behind the scenes work people who are strong in their faith are putting in. I don’t see their morning devotional time, their on-going prayer life, the sacrifices they make, the things they chose not to do.  

But because of the power of the Holy Spirit, you too can be there. We can all have an amazingly beneficial overflowing relationship with God! But it takes trust. Trust that God is a good God and His ways are the best way. It takes obedience. You cannot simply hear the word, but you also must be a doer of the word. 

Walking with Christ is the greatest blessing ever! But people don’t take full advantage of what that means. Listen- the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in you. You have that power in you! You can have an ongoing prayer life. You can constantly be learning more about your heavenly Father and His will. 

Put on those socks and shoes, so that you can remain steady in your walk. Always growing. Always learning more about God, His character, His plan, and how you are part of that plan! 

Read your Bible. 

Pray. 

Fellowship. 

Mentor.

 Grow. 

Trust Him and His ways.

 Obey His word. 

Follow Jesus’ example.

Walk humbly with your God!