One Step at a Time by Stephanie Hanson

One Step at a Time
by Stephanie Hanson

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18

Have you ever been hiking? I love to hike. In all honesty though, I only love to hike when there is an end goal. I don’t want to hike for hikings sake or for a good work out. I hike to get a better view than the view I started out with. A waterfall, a magnificent overlook, a hidden peak that you can’t see from anywhere else; that’s what gets me on the trail! If there is no end goal, count me out.

One day as I was hiking, I began to think of the spiritual applications of my trek.

As we went along, taking in the splendor of God’s creation, my thoughts turned to Him, and the path He was taking me on. Not the literal path I found myself walking in the forest, but the actual path I was walking in life. A spiritual hike, with the end goal of being in the presence of Jesus!

As I hiked on, I realized that my eyes were looking down at my feet almost the entire time. As I kept my eyes on my steps, I was ready for each tree root in the path, each misplaced rock in my way, and each gradual slope upward as we walked to the top.

Every once in a while, my eyes would break from my immediate step to gaze onward, to make sure I was still on the same trail I began on. To look ahead for looming danger. To make sure my hiking group was still with me. I knew well enough from experience, that if I didn’t look up occasionally to make sure I was on my trail, that I could end up miles away from my destination without even realizing that I’d changed course.

On that trail, the psalms “your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path”, “the Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him”, and “show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths” began to come alive to me. I could either blaze my own trail and ask him to bless it, or I could ask him which direction he desired me to go, knowing that real joy would follow only from the latter.

Conviction:

Look where you want to go.

Practical challenge:

RE-EVALUATE.

Stop. Look further down the trail. Are you headed in the right direction?

Maybe for the first time in your life, you need to set your sights on Jesus and begin to walk in his ways. Maybe you’ve committed to Jesus before, but now that you look back, you see that you’ve gotten off course. Change course! Repent! Set your sights on Him!

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

Look back down at your feet. Your current steps. Is each step you’re taking getting you to your goal?

Practically, this could mean cutting off a toxic relationship. This could mean finding a Godly friend to read the Bible with. This could mean changing around your schedule so that you can make it to small group. Maybe you need to sign up for breakaway today! Sit down with an open journal and a willing heart and ask Jesus: “What can I do today to put a smile on your face? What in my daily life needs to change to help me reach lifelong intimacy with you?”