Little by Little and Bit By Bit

I was watching this family of 6 at the beach this weekend. Wow! What a task but they appeared to have a good control system with 4 kids and one on the way. The mom took the boy, who appeared to be the youngest and the dad was watching the other three girls at once as they ranged in age about 2 to 4 years old. The girls obviously loved running into the water with the waves taking them. They knew daddy was close by and kept running back and forth into the water. What amazed me was the control he kept over the three of them. He was tall with long legs and arms, able to quickly stretch and grab each of them in perfect timing before the wave could carry them away.  I thought to myself –this is how God is with all of His children. No matter how many on this earth, He has got complete control over the situation of us all.

For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
1 Corinthians 10:13 Amplified

There were times even as the girls kept going in…little by little and bit by bit that he would let them. He already knew what was too much for them to handle. He would even let the wave push them out a bit so they also learn at the same time what they can handle as well. What an approach! It is so important the role of the father. He is a covering, a protector and a guide. This is a mirror of how God is with His children and He never falls short in any area.

Sometimes He lets us venture off. He is still nearby and able to catch us when we are in need. He already knows the beginning from the end – He is omniscient [having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things] and He is omnipresent [present everywhere at the same time].

“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”
1 John 3:20

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
Psalm 139:7-8

This is good to have an understanding of when there are many times as humans we can get challenged with these areas in life where we feel lonely, lost or lethargic. He is the One that will time and time again come to our care. This is also a part of our growth process and in our walk with God. We learn about who He is through the various stages of our lives. We learn that He frees us, prepares us, protects us, leads us, encourages us, strengthens us and cares for us all throughout our days. Just like the father that was watching those children explore, is the same way that He is watching us navigate through life. There will be many waves of course. But as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we shall never drown. We can’t forget that He is with us.

We take one step at a time in life. We move forward little by little and bit by bit. This is a process and we understand the time for every season in life. Use the Word of God as your source, for this is what we know will endure forever. Take your time. Go at your pace. When He wants you to speed it up – you will be led to do that too. Just keep that communion with God everyday.

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 The Message