“Big” is relative. The smaller we are, the larger everything else appears.

A few years ago, during a visit to my childhood church, I gazed in amazement at how tiny the classrooms were. I didn’t remember them being that small when I was eight years old. Basketball nets appear to have become shorter, too. Trying to shoot a basketball in fifth grade seemed impossible – I had a better chance of aiming at the top of a building. What a difference a few years – and a few inches in height – can make.

I was reminded of this concept of relativity as I watched the newest additions to our family: two boxer puppies.  Taken from their mother way too early, they were brought to the Humane Society where they won our hearts. This brother and sister spent their first week with us wobbling around on shaky legs as they explored their new world. Of course, for the first couple of days, that world was restricted to their crate. Then an entire room. Finally, we brought them outside. That’s when the fun began.

They stumbled and fell, then picked themselves up only to fall again. Thankfully, the soft grass cushioned their tumbles. After a few days of exploring the outdoors and becoming surer of their footing, they attempted to follow us back into the house instead of being carried. But an obstacle blocked their way. To get to our front porch, they had to negotiate a six-inch step – not a problem for you and me, but when you’re less than eight inches tall, a six-inch step is huge!

Still, these pups were determined to conquer that step. They tried and failed and tried again, until…they did it. Puppy perseverance won out.

That step wasn’t a problem for me, but other things are. Things that block my way and cause me grief. Situations that make me want to give up because they’re just too big for me to deal with. Then I remember who I belong to: El Elyon, The Most High God. Nothing is too big for Him to handle, in the physical or the spiritual world. By the power of His Spirit, I’m able to persevere, to maintain hope, and to trust that if I cannot make a way forward, it’s because He has a better way for me.

How has knowing that God is El Elyon helped you develop “puppy perseverance”?