From Walking . . . to Standing . . . to Sitting

My children are beautiful. Emersyn, our five-year-old, is the smartest, sweetest, and most compliant little girl you’ll ever meet. My three-year-old, Maverick, is also smart and sweet. But the boy couldn’t care less about compliance. He lives up to his name! Every day we discover new things about our little ones. The ways they think, what shifts their mood, and just how long a tantrum can last. Parenting is an equally beautiful and messy invitation to discover just how amazing God is at making people. It’s not all discovery though. Parenting is as much plowing as it is excavating. Meaning, our job is not to simply observe who our children are becoming, but also to guide them toward and prepare them for the life God has for them. 

No one enters into their story fully formed. We have all been shaped into the characters that we are today. And nothing shapes our character quite like the characters we are surrounded by. The opening lines in verse 1 address how we can be formed out of synchrony with the story of God: when the ways we walk, the stances we take, and the company we sit with are influenced by those who reject God’s story. 

The antagonists of Psalm 1 are described as arrogantly self-absorbed and hostile toward God. Verse 4 says they are like chaff, the exterior parts of wheat that must be removed before the grain can be edible. They’re in the way of the good stuff. Luckily, it’s easy to remove, with a few swings in the air. Here is where the metaphor comes to light: the part that is willing to be held will be considered harvest, and separated from the part that refuses to be wielded, which flies away in the wind. 

When I think of the progression from walking, to standing, to sitting, I can’t help but think of watching my children take their first steps. There is a natural desire to imitate the actions of those you see around you. The progression of learning to sit on your own, to stand by yourself, and eventually walk wherever you want, helps propel us into independence. Perhaps it’s even motivated, at least in part, by our desire for it. But it is only made possible by observing those around us. We are shaped by relationships. 

Knowing this, Jesus came and made his dwelling among us, to bring us into a relationship like no other. On every page of the New Testament, we can see him inviting us to sit, stand, and walk with him. No matter the kind of family dynamic you have, we are all invited to learn from a better one. This is exactly what Jesus was telling Nicodemus during his late-night encounter with him: “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”

Remember, we were made compatible with the goodness of God. But seeing through the lens of an unhealthy narrative darkens our view of his blessing. If broken relationships can distort our view, then only a healthy relationship can restore it. In this relationship, we become children all over again. Learning to walk with him in his ways. Learning to stand on the foundation of his love. Sitting under his teaching and allowing him to shape our character. 

Psalm 1:6 says he watches over the ways of the righteous. It makes me think of how much I loved watching my children take their first steps. I wasn’t angered by how long it took them. I wasn’t annoyed at their failed attempts. Similarly, I don’t think the Father watches in disapproving judgment, but eager with enjoyment. Even when it seems like all we can manage are baby steps, his eyes are fixed on us. 

Today is a new day to begin again, friend. To learn how to sit, stand, and walk with him. Humility isn’t a posture that we’re always comfortable with. But there’s no better posture we can assume in this story.  

Baby steps aren’t so bad when they’re walking in the Father’s direction.