My goodness, where did this year go? In some ways it has felt so long, and yet, I know I missed posting here because it has been so busy. I pray life is treating you well.

A couple weeks ago I was asked to step in as a substitute Sunday School teacher for the women. We are enjoying the Propel Women series on “The Myth of Having it All.” I had notes that I was given, and of course, I prayed.

As I prayed, one image kept coming back to me.

The catapult.

Turns out, it was an object lesson I ended up sharing with the ladies and it was so powerful. When it comes to having it all, what the world demands of us and what Christ does—boy is it different. It’s so easy to get caught up in the traps the defeated one puts down to get us on that hamster wheel of the world and strive for things we can’t obtain, or we do, and it just isn’t fulfilling.

Been there, done that.

The catapult was a project our son had to complete before graduating high school. All students were given the same instructions and told that their creation had to launch in order to be successful. My husband, a natural in math and science, was out of town and unable to give him any wisdom. Me? I was no help at all beyond prayer.

Brian came home frustrated because his peers were receiving help from parents with engineering backgrounds. It seems everyone had a leg up on the process but him. One night after church he came home to work on it outside in the dark and rain. He kept positioning the garage lights so he could see.

Our prayer was that the catapult would just work. Never mind the far launches the professional designs would have, we just asked that God would let it fly a few feet.

The afternoon of the presentation, my son came home beaming. I asked if it launched.

“Mom. Mine was the only one that did!”

All the help the others received from parents with science backgrounds and our kid, literally with a wing and a prayer, had his catapult launch, and launch some serious distance.

It was that lesson that God downloaded a lesson for us, too. We walked away feeling that if we do it His way, we’re going to launch so much further in Him than anything we would try the world’s way. Everyone else tried to shortcut the process and use professional help, and it did nothing. Surrendering to the Lord? That brought the real success.

I felt like someone needed to read that today. That image continues to encourage me. I hope it does you, too!

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