I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Psalm 118:13-14

When Mason started high school a year-and-a-half-ago, it made me realize how much he’s grown up. Yet, my heavy involvement in his academic life was keeping him young. Sure, being involved gave me purpose, but it wasn’t doing him any favors. It was time to push him out of the nest. Should he fall, I was still there to be his soft place to land.

So, push him out I did. It took everything I had to resist pulling him back into the nest as his grades plummeted. Despite his video-game privileges plummeting right along with them, he just couldn’t find his wings. It’s been a LONG and painful year-and-a-half.

Lo and behold, Mason has finally found his wings! With every day he uses them, he’s flying higher and higher, to the point where he’s taking ownership and asking his teachers if he can redo assignments and quizzes. When I recently saw he’s worked his way back to all A’s and B’s, I did a victory dance!

Yes, Jesus loves our childlike heart and faith. But He still wants us to mature and grow in our understanding. Sometimes that means pushing us out of the nest, and allowing us to experience the difficult and painful aspects of life.

Although we struggle, getting stretched in ways we never imagined, once we fly through, we recognize He was the grace strengthening our wings. We also see that had we fallen, He was right there beside us, ready and willing to be our soft place to land.

Questions for Reflection:

• Is there something happening in my life right now that is stretching me beyond my limits?
• Do I feel the grace of God strengthening me so I grow through this?