CQ Bible Study | Learning to Walk

“Picture this—the toddling girl now has a clue! She realizes that she has the innate ability to walk and the safety cushion of knowing that her guiding parent will not let her fall. However, if she does fall, her compassionate parent will pick her up, dust her off, and help her to continue the journey.”

Learning to Walk

By Alexis A. Goring

While growing up, caution could have been my middle name.

I was so cautious that if a childhood activity—such as playing dodge-ball, skipping, or engaging in an athletic game like leap frog—didn’t meet my standards for safety, I wouldn’t play.

Learning how to walk at 14-months old presented quite a challenge for me. I was determined to put safety first—to learn how to walk at my own leisure and in my own way.

The adventure of learning how to stand on my own two feet and walk was facilitated by my mother. Daily, she would try to teach me how. But it wasn’t easy to convince a cautious and stubborn child (me) that walking was necessary to continue with my daily activities. I was perfectly content with crawling.

However, my mother knew that learning to walk was vital for my growth process. So she persisted.

The motion picture of this point in my life looked something like this: A nervous and very reluctant toddler who is scared of treading on new territory, her eyes are wide in unnecessary fear as her guiding parent gently pushes her out of her comfort zone to teach her how to place one foot in front of the other and . . . walk!

“See, Alexis!” she congratulated me as I tentatively followed her lead. “You can do it! Walk!” my mom commanded in a direct yet compassionate voice.

“Mommy’s not going to let you fall!” she assured me.

Picture this—the toddling girl now has a clue! She realizes that she has the innate ability to walk and the safety cushion of knowing that her guiding parent will not let her fall. However, if she does fall, her compassionate parent will pick her up, dust her off, and help her to continue the journey.

Here on earth, we are learning how to walk on the pathway of discipleship. Traveling on this road, we have sojourners who are as elders in their journey; some who are like young adults; others who are as adolescents; a portion as toddlers; and some I would liken to newborns. Finally, like I was at 14-months, we have a group of people who are adamantly against learning how to walk—for they are perfectly satisfied right where they are.

I’d like to think that just as my mom prompted me to walk, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to not only comfort us in our life situations, but also to gently encourage us to walk.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (NRSV).

Jesus has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Once we make a personal decision to accept Him as our Lord and Savior, a change starts to take place.

We can no longer hide His light in our hearts. Instead, we feel the call and the need to share His light with the world! We are His disciples; and we want to go and make more disciples!

Bravely now, we venture out into our neighborhoods, schools, communities, countries, and the world to proclaim His love, the gospel truth—the hope of salvation and the news of His soon return. We are ready, and we want the world to be ready to meet Him!

So why settle for less by staying where you are in life? Complacency equals danger because it stunts growth. And nowhere in the dictionary will you find that contentment breeds fearlessness. You have no need to fear when God is in control, and you have no need to be reluctant when God’s guiding hand is gently helping you to walk.

Jesus came to earth to give us life abundantly, but He cannot and will not force us to accept His salvation plan, nor will He force us into learning how to walk.

Each of us must genuinely want to learn more about Jesus. We must want to continue our growth as disciples. We have to desire to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary. We have to crave the faith of Abraham and follow His lead without doubt or question. We have to pray for the courage of Esther and to seriously yearn, like David, to be a man or woman after God’s own heart.

Make no mistake, once we are willing and ready to walk, God will guide our each and every step along the straight and narrow road that leads to His glory.

Did I mention that God is not only a great Guide, but that He is a skilled Navigator? You can trust Him to successfully and surely navigate you through all the storms, troubles, worries, and woes of life.

And when earth’s history is complete, you can trust Him completely to usher you into eternity.