Cliche, Yes.

The other day, while my son was desperately trying to pull himself up on the couch so he could reach the remote, I began to reach out to pull him up. I stopped myself. This was not the first time I had to stop myself from doing something for him. I had to watch him. He was so close! He can get on his knees, he just hasn't mastered how to get his foot out from under his butt.

It was excruciating for me. Excruciating to watch him struggle...just staring at that remote. He had that same look in his eyes that I get when I see crème brûlée. Sheer, utter, undeniable desire and determination to have it. I silently cheered for him (if I'd said anything, he would have just stared at me and forgotten his goal). His little hands gripping the edge of the couch...grunt after grunt. All fruitless. He plopped back onto his butt, defeated.

I started to wonder. How many times will I have to watch him struggle to figure something else out on his own? Probably a lot. A lot.

Really, all I had to do was either pull him up or push the remote closer. But he wouldn't learn that way.

Being a parent, I feel, has opened my eyes to how God must feel about us. The completely explainable, overwhelming love that I feel towards Roan...God loves me (and him and you) more. That alone is mind-blowing to me!

The way that I have to let Roan learn and grow on his own in some areas easily relates to how God lets us grow and learn and figure things out. It would be so easy for him to just...give it to us - whatever it is we need to learn. But he loves us too much to make us puppets.

Growth can be (and often is) painful and frustrating. But it's comforting to know that God is cheering me on...knowing that I can do it.