roll over...

Daelyn Grace is officially 5 months now. woohoo. She's little miss activity and as per developmental timeline, she's fully into the rolling over stage. At first she was just a tummy to back roller. She's been doing that for at least a month now..but just recently, she's been making the back to tummy shift.

Today as I watched, I had to force myself to not reach out and help her. The poor baby kept getting stuck as she wanted to go to her tummy from her back. The beauty of it was, she didn't give up. She'd try, get stuck (left arm was under her and she couldn't figure out how to get it out I guess) and then roll back on her back and start again.

It literally took maybe 6 tries before she successfully got it. The funny thing was, when she moved from back to tummy, she immediately went from tummy back on her back. side note: she definitely can't spend too much time on a bed alone now.

I caught her! she's also not looking too happy huh?

Throughout this process, she didn't once look at me for help. It was just my maternal instinct that wanted to swoop in and fix it for her. But of course, if I did (and continue to) swoop in and help, the appropriate muscles and such that are needed for this process would never develop. And here was the lesson for me.

SO many times, I (unlike my precious baby) cry out to Father to intervene when I'm "stuck". Its too much. I just want it dealt with.  Fix it now...and despite the fact that I know I need to go through process to build character muscles, it doesn't make the "going through" any easier.

Muscle is harder to build than fat. Muscle is obtained through challenges, through tension, through work. Fat, is accumulated through doing nothing. They both "weigh" the same...after all, a pound is a pound. BUT ten pounds of muscle will look and feel lighter than ten pounds of fat. Additionally, muscle has purpose; fat doesn't. Comparing muscle and fat even further: muscle represents health...fat, well too much of it, can have poor implications for our wellness.

Essentially, I went through that comparison of muscle and fat because I think there is a lesson there. When we go through process and develop certain qualities which prepare us for our goal, we can then handle everything that comes with the acquisition. We are mature, we have necessary skills, we know the purpose of that which we received. However, on the other hand, when we are given things, without being prepared for it...well, you know how that looks. We are more likely to squander or misuse "it" (whatever it may be). We may not know how to correctly use/apply. Worse, that which should be a good thing, because we are unprepared, could now become a bad thing to our lives.

So as I close, remember to be patient; process can be painful...but it is always productive!

Grace peace and love,
Gia