Learning to Walk
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13
When my children took their first steps, my husband and I were ecstatic. Even though their walking was a series of steps followed by a fall, we would watch with delight as they discovered what they could do. We took videos to show our friends and family, and we praised each child.
Did you know this is how God delights in our steps as we walk with him? Sometimes we think he’s in a hurry, waiting for us to finally get ourselves together. We feel like we should know how to live without ever being taught and without waiting for him to shape us. We end up trying our hardest not to fail, rather than trusting that he holds us firmly.
This passage tells us that the grace of God is here. It has appeared! He has given it to his children, and by his grace he teaches us to live in godliness. When we come to Jesus, we come empty-handed, knowing very little. Just like a baby doesn’t know how to walk on the day she is born, we don’t automatically know how to live according to God’s ways. Learning his ways and what it means to honor him in all areas of our lives comes over a lifetime.
God is patient with his children. He is realistic, never in a hurry to get us perfect. God knows we don’t know everything about living as a Christian, so he gives us his word, his people, and our circumstances to train us how to live a godly life. Because he loves us and knows us intimately, he has a vision for what he wants our lives to look like. He teaches us the joy of living self-controlled and upright lives, saying no to all that is not of him.
The promise of his grace is secure, and because he is so committed to our growth, he allows us the freedom to fall and fail. He delights in the baby steps of progress that we make.