Just the next step.....

A Petaled Path

Have you ever had days when you felt like everything before you looks grim?  Sometimes as we listen to the news or discover trials that our loved ones are going through, we feel so helpless and wonder what we are headed into. Sometimes I want to just close my eyes and stand still and pretend that I'm not here!  But then I realize that all I have to do is take the next step. Looking too far forward can be overwhelming, but if I just look at the step in front of me, I begin to see hope.  

We all know that we can't solve the world's problems ourselves.....we can't even solve our own problems ourselves!  We neither have the knowledge or the stamina to do everything that we think needs done in order to "make things OK". The thing is, what we may think the answer is, may not be the answer at all. We just see what is in front of us, we don't see the entire picture. Our ways and desires might not be what's best in the wide scheme of things.  But there is One who knows all.
 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9 

 And He works all things for the good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
 We can trust in our all-knowing God.  We can trust Him to lead us to the next step according to His purpose for our lives.  If the path was completely clear all the way, we wouldn't lean on Him for the best way.  Having a partially unclear path causes us to rely on His strength and His will as we go, so that our steps will be in the direction He chooses in order for His purpose to be fulfilled in our lives.  

He doesn't ask us to grope around in darkness, trying to find our way, He lights our path as we go.  Like a lamp, the light only illuminates a portion of the path in front of us.
 "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105  Keeping the light before us requires a constant closeness with God through prayer, reading His Word, and living a life that reflects His love.  

So, when I am feeling overwhelmed by the problems in the world, or in my own life, I try to remember that all God asks of me is to take the next step.....to listen and watch for His guiding light so that I might know what I can do in order to fulfill His purpose in the greater scheme of things.  This gives me hope and moves me forward, and soon I am able to see the blessings rather than the problems. It's like the picture above. The blessings sprinkle the path.  If we are looking too far into the darkness ahead, we forget to look down at the blessings before us! 

Lord, help me today to see the blessings you have sprinkled at my feet so that I can be grateful rather than fretful!