I Got It.

I have learned many life lessons from a four-year-old (although some were learned when she was one, two, and three).

I love Madison dearly. I am very supportive of her, treat her with respect, attempt to resolve her problems quickly, and teach her to take initiative and assume responsibility for her actions. Recently, I noticed that she is becoming more independent. A few days ago I tried to help her climb into the truck. She pulled her hand away and announced, “I got it!” Then as I tried to help her buckle the seatbelt she reminded me – “Dad, I got it!” One day we were riding in the car - she picked up my iPhone, entered my password, selected a program, and started using the application – followed by, “See dad, I got it.” Even as I am typing, Sarah is trying to help Madison with a mug of hot chocolate. Madison moved it away and assured her – “I got it!” (I don’t think Sarah was convinced.)

Madison’s newly found independence has caused me to rethink my own responses to God’s direction in my life. Though He always knows what is best for me, I occasionally pull away and insist, “I got it”. He generally lets me have my way until I realize His way was better. In these moments, I really don’t “got it”, yet in His love and mercy He is letting me grow to be more like Him. And I’m getting it.

Looking Foolish

“If we're ever going to accomplish anything BIG for God, we have to be willing to look foolish.”

Many things in which I have chosen to invest significant time and energy have looked foolish to many. Several years ago a well-respected Christian leader said to me, “Michael, you are often way ahead of people in your thinking. You should consider slowing down a little.” While I understand he may have been trying to save me some grief, what he was really saying was that I look foolish sometimes. My vision and passion isn’t always logically sensible.

What if we didn’t care about looking foolish to others? Would it change the way we approached life? I, too, am believing God for miracles every day – sometimes I’m gonna look a little foolish.

What is God asking you to do that might seem foolish to those around you?

Awkward shelf.

What are you afraid of?

Every evening at approximately the same time I transition from my role as Madison’s dad to a member of her security detail. My job includes escorting her around the house to turn on lights before she enters a dark room. Madison is so fearful of the dark that she requires one nightlight in her room and one in the kitchen so she can see well enough to trek around the house in the middle of the night (which usually ends with her climbing into our bed).

To be fair to Madison, we all have fears. When I was a kid, I can remember having to take the trash out to the curb after dark followed by running like a scared girl back to the house so the boogey man couldn’t get me. While all of us have experienced fear, our fears are often misplaced or even unnecessary at all. For example, to dispel the darkness in our home, Madison could simply flip a light switch. Likewise, I’m fairly certain that there was no boogey man lurking in the bushes around my home when I was a kid.

I have found that many individuals maintain the status quo because they fear failure. Yet, this fear of failure is nearly always misplaced or unnecessary. In order to experience growth, we must be more afraid of missed opportunities than we are of failure. Mark Batterson suggested that life’s greatest memories are often discovered in the biggest challenges one faces. Instead of fearing these opportunities to grow, we should make a habit of doing what God is directing us to do through His Word regardless of our fears.

Don’t allow your fears to stunt your growth. Like my friends at Nike used to say, Just do it.