One bright morning, I strapped my 10-month-old daughter, Juliet, into her stroller and set off for a leisurely walk around our neighborhood. A few minutes into our journey, we passed an older man walking his dog. Instinctively, I snapped into “Mom Mode.”
“That’s a puppy, Jules,” I said in my high-pitched mom voice. “Puppies say, ‘woof woof.’ Can you say, ‘woof woof’?”
She stared at the dog in complete confusion for a split second, then her face broke out into a smile and she began to clap enthusiastically. See, dear reader, my daughter had barely figured out how to contort her little mouth to say “Dada;” there was no way she was going to bust out a “woof woof.” Instead, she did what she knew how to do—clap—and did it with enthusiasm.
I wonder how many of us ladies have been asked by “life” to bark. By that I mean we have been given challenges far beyond what we know how to handle. I think of people in my life who have had to deal with health challenges, the sudden passing of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the betrayal of a friend. Now, the world is dealing with global instability, soaring inflation, and the stress of an uncertain economy. What do we do in these times? How are we supposed to cope when being asked to do something we have no idea how to do?
I Corinthians 10:13 says, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The truth is that God knows every trial we must face in life. This verse tells us that with every temptation, He has also given us a way to escape. He has already given us what we need to bear it. His grace is sufficient for every trial, even the ones we have no idea how to handle.
Therefore, what do we do when we are asked to do something we do not know how to do? Do what we know to do. We know how to get up, spend time with the Lord, make breakfast for our families, clean the house, pray fervently, be an encouragement to others, start a load of laundry, change a diaper, and so on. In other words, when life asks us to bark, just clap. Let us keep clapping with all of our strength, and God will take care of the rest.
by Abigail Medford
