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Up the Stairs

The journey of our lives will take us somewhere. Some of us will travel the road that takes us to God, and some will go to 'the big party' [actually the big lie] in hell.

Well, I've decided to go to heaven. After all, I'd rather see God, be with God and experience God in all of His glory for eternity than go to hell's 'big party.' Either way we go, our journeys are traveled in an up or down direction. Just like going to the mall and going between the first and second levels. The journey down is easy. There is really no effort involved at all. All we have to do is let go, and let the momentum of our lives carry us downward. Going up is a bit more difficult (and in the case of the mall, gets more difficult with age).

Praise God! The journey up gets easier with age! As we grow in the grace of God, we learn tot rust Him more, we learn to rely more on His strength, and His leading, and His, well, everything. We do this until it becomes more of Him carrying us up the stairs than us trying to make it on our own. Now, He doesn't actually carry us all the way up, we do have to take steps ourselves.

When we're at the bottom of the staircase looking up, it seems like the steps are ten miles high. We take the first one, then the next one only seems five miles high. Then we hit the next one and it seems like it's only four and a half miles high. As we climb higher, the steps get smaller and smaller. But, as we climb, and learn the lessons God has planned for us, we begin to see that as we rely on Him more, everything we are and do becomes more of Him, and less of us. He's quite a bit larger than we are, so the steps aren't as high to Him.
Some of us seems to get stuck on those bottom steps. It seems like we're never going to get to the next one. You know, that's how I feel right now. Here I am, trying to climb this humongeous staircase that will take me to heaven, and I can't even reach the top of the molding on the first step! The clouds seem closer than the ledge of the first step. It's awfully high. I certainly can't get to the top of the first step by myself.

Then, I see something coming from the cloud. A pair of hands begins to reach for me. I think even touching those hands is impossible. The hands keep getting closer. I want to touch them. I want to get to the top of this first step. As I yearn to get there, the hands keep getting close to me. I'm not sure if its me getting taller, or the arms getting longer. Whatever it is, the hands are closer. Now, I can see the face of the person who is stretching out their hands to help me. It's Jesus. His loving voice tells me to reach out. I do. I stretch as far as I can. He leans over the edge, getting closer to me. Then, just when I think I can't stretch anymore, His hands grasp mine, and He pulls me toward Him.

I look back. Funny, isn't it, how we always look back? The step that was ten miles high is now only six inches tall. I want to go back and try to climb that step again, but He tells me that's not a good idea, that I must always look up, and look forward to the next step. Then, I turn, and He's gone. I do as He says, I look up, I look forward, and see the next step.

Here we go again. This time, though the step only looks eight miles high. With new-found confidence, I begin the task of trying to get to the next step. I think I'm failing, then, I see the hands again. I move toward Him faster this time. I don't want it to take as long as it did last time. He pulls me up to the second step, and tells me to look up, and look forward, then He's gone again.

This time, the step is about five miles high. I take a step toward the face of the wall. The step is big, but not as big as the ones before. I try to reach up a couple of times. I look for His hands again, but they are not there. I begin to wonder if He's going to help me this time. It's not as big, maybe I need to do this on my own. Then, logic kicks in. No matter how hard I try, there is no way that I can scale the wall of this step on my own.

I cry out to Him. Help me! I look for His hands to come down, and they aren't there. I stretch toward the top of the step again, but His hands are no where to be seen. I cry out again. Help me! Then, I feel something on my ankles. He lifts me off the ground. I shout out, 'a little more, just a little higher.' And he lifts me. I grab hold of the top of the step. I want to rest, this has been a tiring experience, but He eases me toward the top. Just when I think I'm going to loose my grip, I feel His hands go away from my ankles. Oh, no, I think, I'm going to fall back! I cry out, Help me! From the top of the step, I see His familiar face, and He pulls me up.

He tells me to look up, and look forward. The step is about three miles high this time. I turn to face Him. I expect Him to be gone, but He isn't. This time, I turn to Him, and I ask Him; 'how will we conquer this step.' As I turn to face the wall of the step, a ladder appears. We begin to climb. On the way up, I feel myself getting tired. I think I'm going to fall of the ladder. Just as these thoughts begin in my head, I can feel His movement below me. I am not alone, He's here with me.

We get to the top of this step, and I can't help myself. I am beside myself with joy. He has been with me the whole time. He's been sharing my thoughts, seeing my fears, knowing when I feel defeated, feeling my aches and pains. He's been there the whole time, encouraging me to go forward, to look up, to keep my eye on the prize. I turn, and embrace Him.

This time, He tells me to look back. I see before me what has happened. I see how I stretched toward Him, and how He met me. I see how I began to trust Him, and He lifted me up. I see how I walked in the path He provided and He was with me. Then He told me to look up, and look forward.

This time, I didn't see just one step, but many steps. They were smaller ones, maybe a few feet tall, with even shorter ones toward the top. Together we ran toward the first one, and pulled ourselves over the top, then we jumped and pulled ourselves up the next one. Then, we leaped on to the next one, and the next one, then we jumped on the next.

When we got to the small ones, I thought we might be able to skip one. But, each time I did, the next step was twice as large. When the steps got too big again, I asked if we could go back and take on the little ones. He said no, we must look up, and look forward. I asked about the lessons I was supposed to learn on those steps I skipped. He said that I would learn them, but as I travel onto the new steps.

So, we took the next step. This time, He had to lift me up again. As we went forward, traveling up the steps, each one started to get a bit smaller again. It was glory. Then, I came upon a step I didn't want to take. This time, I didn't have to think about it. He was standing beside me, so I went for it. I started to stare at that step, I examined the lesson God planned for me, and I tried to understand. As I did, the step actually got bigger. Then, it dawned on me. Here He is ready to help me take the step, and I didn't ask Him to help me. So, I turned to Him, and asked Him to help we with this step.

We got to the top. He hugged me this time. He said how proud He was that I was learning so much, and that I was beginning to understand the true nature of our relationship. Then, He took my hand, and we walked up the next few steps. We reached the top of the staircase. When we did, a familiar voice welcomed us. It was Father.

Father welcomed us. He took us in His arms and hugged us. He said how happy He was that we finally made it. Then, He took our hands, and walked us into His throneroom. Then, I couldn't help but be happy for all that I had gone through. All the trials and tribulations that made those stairs so big didn't seem so big anymore. In His presence, the trip up the stairs seemed like a walk across the street.

Then, He looked at me, and He said; "Well done, good and faithful servant." Then, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that all the struggle of getting up those stairs was worth every ounce of energy.

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