What if God saw you. I mean really saw you. What if he knows precisely where you’ve been, where you are now, and what is ahead of you? What if he absolutely delights in your journey and believes in you with every step?
My friend Bob Goff once painted a mental image for me that has stuck. He said, “Heaven’s leaning over the rails wondering if we’ll be as courageous as God thinks we are.” Hey, what if God is cheering you on?
He is. He does see you. He does know exactly where you are. He is delighting in your journey. He does believe in you, and oh my sister, he is cheering you on.
Yesterday, I watched a little icon move on a map for hours, tracking my son’s progress in his very first marathon. I could see the entire course. Where he had been and what was coming next. I could see where he would begin climbing the mountain, knowing it would be so hard. I could see where he would be running along the shore in Honolulu, knowing it would be so beautiful. I knew the sun would be coming up around mile 9. I knew he would be growing so tired around mile 20. And with every step, I watched him continue.
Me, his mother, leaning over the rails from thousands of miles away, praying he discovers all God has put within him. Me, his mother, leaning over the rails, cheering him on, delighting in his journey.
I saw his pace slowing on mile 21 on the steepest climb. It was as if my heart was outside of my own chest, hurting for him, believing in him. And in that moment, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “This is how all of Heaven watches you!”
I am being cheered for. I am believed in. I am totally delighted over.
You are being cheered for. You are believed in. You are totally delighted over.
Maybe you’ve never felt that way in your entire life. Maybe that’s a completely foreign thought to be the one actually on a journey, and that journey being followed and championed. But the truth is, God has always been watching you. He’s always seen your journey and believed in you. He knows exactly what he put inside of you, so he intimately knows your potential. He also knows the path and who you will become along the way. He knows how you will grow. He knows what you will learn. And he knows the reward awaiting you.
Psalm 121: 7-8, “The Lord watches over your life. He keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”
And here’s what I realized yesterday, watching my son run his marathon from such a distance, the details totally didn’t matter. I didn’t need him to win the race. I didn’t need him to be better than anyone else. I didn’t require his perfection. I simply delighted in knowing he was on his course and moving forward on his journey. And I knew this struggle would help him grow.
My friends, this must be how God watches over us. He doesn’t need us to win. He doesn’t require your performance. He just delights in your journey.
Psalm 139: 7-10, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
God knows when the hard parts are coming, and he knows this is when we truly discover his power living within us. This is when we find his guidance and his strength. And with each small step we take forward, he delights. He gathers Heaven to lean over the rails to cheer you on.
The entirety of your life has been laid out. Every day, from beginning to end, is a course leading to the greatest potentials for your life. And God knows where you are on that course. He watches with love, not with disappointment. He doesn’t need you to win, he simply wants you to continue. Continue so you experience the fullness of the life Jesus came to offer you. Continue so you become everything He intended you to be.
Heaven is cheering. Cheering your name!
This is possible. You can do this. The way is being made for you. Keep going, God’s girl, keep going.
Psalm 33: 13-15, “The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.”
God understands. He understands your struggle. He understands your frustration. And he knows you’ve got what it takes for this journey. Rest if you need to rest. Slow down if you need to slow down. But, honey, don’t give up. You have the strength of God dwelling within you. You have the divine guidance of the Almighty on your side. And Heaven is cheering for you.
I didn’t wake up more proud of my son today because he has a marathon medal. I woke up overjoyed for his journey, seeing him become who he was created to be. After the race he said to me, “Mom, at one point on that hill it was so hard that I asked God to give me strength. And, Mom, he did!”
This is a boy who had completely lost his faith just a few years ago. A boy who didn’t believe God was real. A boy who stopped believing in the power of prayer.
That’s why this journey is so special. He’s coming back to the truth. The hardest parts of our journey do that.
Why is life so hard sometimes? Because it’s then we discover all God put within us. It’s then we dare to believe maybe Heaven is cheering for us. It’s then we see God is real and his eye has never left us.
May you be as courageous as God thinks you are! May you know all of Heaven is leaning over the rails cheering for your journey.
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