Learning to Walk Again

A healthy person wants healing.

A child who is on track developmentally will continue to make strides toward independence.

A person with the flu will feel horrible for many days, then she will be ready to sit up, ready to take a shower and get dressed, and finally ready to begin the routine again.

By the grace of God, healing and growth are natural progressions. They are the way of life.

And so it is a good sign that I want to get up off the mat I've been lying on, that I'm ready to take a few steps on my own, that I'm growing restless in a resting position.

It is easy to convince myself that I've become a burden to my support system, that more progress must happen faster, that each step should really have been two.

But I must be careful what I tell myself.

Getting up doesn't mean one never sits down again.

To carry isn't necessarily burdensome, when the one who is carried is pointed toward growth.

I didn't get tired of carrying my babies, but they grew restless in my arms. They were ready to crawl, walk, and then run.

When the friends carried the man on the mat, it was not because he demanded to be carried. Rather, they knew where he needed to be, and they loved him enough to handle blisters, sweat, and exhaustion.

And in the carrying, they made it to Jesus' feet too.