I Did It!

My cousin’s daughter and her husband have triplets that are now six years old.  When they were first born and their parents needed extra hands, I was fortunate enough to be able to help with them from time to time.  When they were about two, I was at their house enjoying watching the three of them do what two-year olds do!  On this particular day it was clear that the phrase of the day was, “I did it.”   Kai, the boy of this precious trio, has just recently learned to climb out of his crib.  Now this was not at all surprising because he had been climbing, opening cabinets and doors, turning toys off and on, and figuring things out for several months.

As one of the “sitters” we’d been told he had now mastered the crib so we needed to be aware of this.  This particular day we were all in his bedroom and he proceeded to show us how this task was accomplished.  He could not just climb out of the crib, but into it as well. He would climb in the crib on one end, stand up straight and tall and proudly say, “I did it!”  He then would go to the opposite end of the crib, climb out of the crib and, again, just as proudly announce, “I did it.”   This was a fun rotation for a few minutes and soon he was joined by his sister, Neely.  She would follow Kai’s lead and climb into the crib, announce, “I did it,” climb out of the crib to the floor and again proudly announce, “I did it.”  

This rotation had probably been done two or three times for each of them and I was watching with interest the third child, Bevan, as she watched her two siblings.  She had not completely mastered the technique yet but that didn’t stop her as she was proceeding to try to climb into the crib.  She struggled for a bit and just couldn’t figure it out and get that little knee in just the right place to accomplish this new feat.  After several minutes of struggling and seeing her brother and sister pass her by, she looked at me with those beautiful, clear blue eyes and pleaded, “Help.”   I, of course was able to give her just the little push she needed to make it over the side of the crib.  Success, she was in the crib and quickly she stood up and proudly pronounced, “I did it!”

Well, not really did she “do it” but she certainly knew how to take credit for it after having watched her brother and sister.  I thought this to be extremely cute and quite funny.  Later that day as I was retelling this story I thought about how her actions are so much like mine.  I struggle and struggle with the “task of the day” and then I finally look to God and say “Help” and then when He does, far too many times my reaction is, “I did it!”  I fail to recognize the push I’ve been given, the strength I was granted, or even the encouragement that has come from God that was my “help.”  I turn my thoughts inward and think of my independence, proclaiming “I did it!”

Thank you God for using the triplets to teach me about myself!  Forgive me God for not realizing that all my strength and help comes from you!


"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."  Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)