Applaud the Hard Things

Somewhere along the way I have adopted the phrase, "We can do hard things."  When the girls come upon a task that seems daunting, I remind them, too, "We can do hard things."

This morning, baby girl was asked to clean up all the baby doll stuff.  She took one look at all the clothes, toys, and babies on the floor and decided, then declared, "I can't; there's too much."  To which I replied, "Yes, you can!  You can do hard things.  Just do a little at a time and it will get easier and easier."  I then went to the laundry room.  When I emerged, there was baby girl sitting at the kitchen table, working a puzzle.  I looked in the living room floor, expecting to see lingering baby items.  Instead, I only saw three books.

"Wow!  You did a hard thing!"

She just kept working the puzzle.  But I wanted her to recognize and celebrate her victory.  So, I prodded on.

"You didn't think you could pick up all the baby stuff, but you did!  Give me fives!!!"

Then she smiled, looked up at me, and slapped my hand over and over.

And I realized that I need to applaud the hard things in my life too.  It doesn't take much to stop me in my tracks these days.  An overflowing kitchen sink, a full laundry room, a full schedule...any of these can seem like I have a mountain to climb before bedtime.  So, next time a mountain of clothes or dishes or errands is under my feet, I am going to stop and celebrate the God who gives me strength to climb mountains, be that large or small.

"They go from strength to strength, til each appears before God in Zion."  Psalm 84:7.