15, 20, 35, 46, 77

I promise these numbers have nothing to do with a lottery. They are not the "get rich quick" numbers of the day, but we feel rich because of them. They are the numbers of seconds that Maxim has stood with only his crutches and no other assistance on different occasions in the last couple of weeks. Progress little by little. On January 14, he took just a few steps, both at home and at therapy. Although he has taken no steps with the crutches alone since then, we are so encouraged. On November 10 last year, I was praying for him and asking God about his walking; wanting to know, as his mom, what Maxim can hope for. As I was praying, God impressed on me that Maxim was going to walk on January 14. I hesitated to tell anyone but our household about it, specifically, because I have heard so many people say they heard times and dates from God about all kinds of things, and they have been wrong. I don't like to get into discussions about when someone thinks something is going to happen, and the speculations that can swirl around. I apologize now, for not being more courageous in sharing the gift I received of encouragement from the Heavenly Father, right down to the date. I was pridefully afraid of being looked at as some kind of wacky woman instead of concentrating on "Look what God is about to do! Watch this!" We need to hear each other's testimonies of how He is working in our lives, so we don't forget He is the same awesome One who has always performed miracles and will never stop. Anyway, when I heard what I heard (in distinct thought rather than audible) back in November, I went ahead and wrote it down in ink in my prayer diary and began to hope and look forward. At the time, Maxim wasn't even out of his last casts yet, so I knew it could only be by God's help. On January 13, I started to feel anxious. I felt like I needed to wrestle and remind God what He said; sort of fight for Maxim. But at a prayer meeting that night, the thing that kept coming up in conversation and the prayers I heard was "Be still and know that I am God". We need to be quiet and see what God will do sometimes. And trust the promises He has already made. He is not a liar. So I began to relax. The next day, Maxim took those first steps. Both times, I or the therapist had our hands in contact lightly with the crutches but knew that Maxim was absolutely doing everything. The thing is, because he saw that we were still touching the crutches, I don't think he really gets what he accomplished. He sure understood, last night, however, when he stood for Papa for 77 seconds. It was even while he wasn't feeling terrific (he has an ear infection) and the dog hurried by and startled him. He maintained his balance and began to beam. What do you think you can't stand in the middle of? God is right there to steady you and let you know that someday you really will be able to throw away all of your crutches and stand on just the Rock. Isn't that an awesome thing to look forward to? Let your heart rest in that today. And when those crutches do fall away, and you realize what you can do in Him, turn around and tell someone else your story.