Taking the Next Step

When we are going through trials, when it is hard to see God, and see how He is working, we have to rely on faith. You have to believe that since God brought you so far, He will continue to guide you. You take a deep breath and you take the next step.

The steps may be hard, and it may be all you can do to just move that once pace, but that is all God is asking. God just wants us to rely on Him for each step. Once we take one, we rely on Him for the next, and the next, and the next. Eventually we will come to a part of the journey that isn't so tough.

Sometimes the next step can be confusing. You come to a fork in the road and you wonder which path to take. How do we really know if the path we are taking is the one God wants for us? It could be that all the paths are on a godly route. Do we choose the path or nursing or teaching? Both choices are godly and good, so which one to do we choose?

In times like this I think that God allows us to make whatever choice we want. Both could bring peace, both could you to serve Him as you serve others. When it comes to such amoral decisions it isn't so much about which choice you make, but what is your process in making that choice? Are you talking to God, reading His word, and seeking advice from fellow travelers you meet along the way?

Other times, you do need to make sure you are listening to God very carefully as He guides you along the narrow path. He is helping you get up when your foot is too heavy to lift. He is breathing oxygen into over tired lungs, He is whispering encouragement into a defeated spirit, a spirit that just wants to give up.

He will tell you what choice to make. You will know if it is the right one by the peace you feel when you chose the path to take. God will give you a sense of security that even though the path may be rocky, even though it may be over grown and super steep, you will have peace that it is going the right way.

God is just waiting for you to ask Him to guide you, to help you move your feet. Yesterday was one of those days where I was feeling discouraged, beaten down, and lost. This journey is such a marathon, that there will be days, weeks, months, maybe even years where we just don't know how we are doing this, and why. We falter in our quest, we see just what is right before us, and we fail to imagine how good it will be when we round the bend.

Where are you in your journey? Are you enjoying a smooth and flat period, or is your path over grown, forking or steep? No matter where you are, there is encouragement. It will change, and in the end the destination is more beautiful than anything we could imagine! Keep going. I'm going to take the next step and I'm here praying that you can as well.

-JP-