Pap’s Encouragement
Yesterday after church, our grandsons came over, and we spent most of the afternoon outside enjoying the sunshine and playing in the yard. At one point my husband needed to cut a tree off the shed that had fallen during the last storm, so he got a ladder so he could climb onto the shed roof and cut the tree off the roof.
As soon as the ladder was up, Ben and Brooks, who are almost four and four, wanted to climb it too. Ben went first, and although he never said he was scared, about halfway up he started making his way back down. Paps could see he was afraid, so he stayed right beside him, talking to him and encouraging him to keep going. He showed him where to put his feet and reminded him that he could do it, and after a little encouragement Ben started climbing again and made it all the way to the top.
When it was Brooks’ turn, he did the same thing. He climbed until he was about halfway up, then he stopped and started making his way back down. But unlike Ben, Brooks looked at Paps and said he was scared. Paps encouraged him just like he had encouraged Ben, reminding him there was nothing to be afraid of because he was right there beside him. He showed him where to put his hands and feet and stayed close to him until Brooks reached the top too.
When they each reached the top of the ladder, both boys climbed back down, smiling and proud of themselves. Before long they were climbing the ladder again, and then again after that, and each time they did it with less fear until they were climbing it without being afraid at all.
Later, I thought about how much we are like my young grandsons. At first they were afraid, and halfway up both of them wanted to make their way back down. But because Paps stayed beside them, encouraged them, and helped them keep going, they made it to the top. Then, when they climbed the ladder again, they were not afraid anymore because they had learned they could do what once seemed too scary.
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” That is often how God works in our lives. We face something that feels too hard, too uncertain, or too frightening, and everything in us wants to turn back. But God stays beside us in the middle of our fear. He strengthens us, helps us keep going, and reminds us that we do not have to face it alone.
As we trust Him and keep taking the next step, fear slowly begins to lose its hold on us. The situation may not change, but we do, because we have learned that God is faithful. What once seemed impossible no longer seems quite so frightening, not because we became strong on our own, but because we discovered that God had been helping us all along.