The baby giraffe drops from over six feet, severing the umbilical cord to rupture and hitting the ground with a thud. Weighing over one hundred pounds, his own weight clears his lungs, and he takes his first breath. His mother nudges him with her nose to encourage him to stand.

As soon as the new baby mounts his wobbly legs, his mom whops him with her powerful neck, knocking him again to the ground. Sometimes she raises her hoof and gives him a swift kick, sending him several feet through the air. The mother may do this several times before she left her calf to remain upright.

Why would the mother giraffe do this?

What appears cruel to us is actually a God-given instinct. Giraffes are a delicacy to predators in the area. If the baby giraffe doesn’t learn to stand quickly, he may become a lion’s next meal.

Each time the baby giraffe struggles to his feet, his legs are strengthened. Within hours of being born, he can quickly jump up and run to avoid being eaten.

Have you ever felt like a baby giraffe? I have.

Sometimes it seems each time I move forward and accomplish tasks, life events knock me off my feet. Over the past eighteen months, I’ve struggled in several areas. As I wrote my book and prepared lessons, my computer harassed me—freezing in the middle of tasks and taking over thirty minutes to reboot. My body has challenged me—suffering from wrist tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and general body aches. Body aches and fatigue led to doubt and discouragement.

For all of us, there are knocks and blows in life that knock us off our feet.

We may ask —

Why would God allow us to go through trouble upon trouble?

What is He trying to accomplish through the blows of life?

God may allow blow after blow, setback after setback, discouragement after discouragement, and trouble upon trouble to teach us to rely on Him. He often uses trials to strengthen us for the battle. So that when the enemy comes, we are able to stand and face him with confidence and strength in the Lord and be able to fight as God would have us fight.

First Peter 5:10 explains—”But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

God is doing His perfect work in us through the trials. The next time life knocks you off your feet, remember that God is making you more like Jesus, setting your feet firmly on the Rock, strengthening you for the battle and settling you so that you can rest in Him.

Thank you, God, for giving each of us opportunities to grow. We know we will be stronger on the other side of our troubles. Make us who You intend for us to be, no matter what it takes.