My second daughter was a late walker. She just didn’t seem to ever get the hang of it. She was content to drag herself around the floor and sit and watch the world just go by.

It was frustrating as a parent because I wanted her to enjoy the fruits of walking. It’s easier than crawling. You have a different perspective on the world. You can get around faster. Your parents don’t have to carry you every where. Things are just a little more enjoyable.

One day she just decided that it was time to walk. She fell a few times, but finally, at about 15 months old, she was walking. She finally decided that walking was the way to go, that it wasn’t worth it to continue to crawl.

If you are in ministry it can be pretty frustrating when you are trying to convey the Gospel to others and they just don’t seem to want to latch on to it. You try everything.

Free food.

Raffles.

Prizes.

Cool media things.

Different types of prayer.

Different types of music.

The best flyers ever designed.

Still people that you serve seem comfortable to just sit and take it all in. They don’t want to take that step forward. They don’t want to start to walk spiritually. The old saying about a horse and water comes to mind. You throw up your hands in frustration.

Then you meet the person a few years later. They have started to embrace the faith and they let you know your part in it. The seeds that you planted. Then you realize it.

They needed to decide for themselves that it was time to walk.

Free will is a difficult thing because it is unpredictable in others and we find them hard to control. The point is not to control them. The point is to simply love them and continuously introduce them to “walking.”

One day, they will just make the decision to do it themselves.

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally published on Todd’s website The Sainthood Project.