April 20, 2024
I’m sure you all know what “stepping stones” are. I’m particularly referring to the ones you place on a path or walkway.
I can remember as a child my grandparents had stepping stones and we always thought it was great to jump from one to the other. Before we moved to Jefferson we lived in Loganville and we had some stepping stones that led from our driveway to our front porch. Our grandchildren played the same game either jumping from one to the other or taking giant steps from one to the other.
It never failed that one of the kids would get overly confident, run and hit the stepping stone at just the wrong angle. They would stumble and fall. Every. Single. Time.
I was thinking about these stepping stones this week in relation to life. When my life is running smoothly, with no tests or trials, or unforeseen circumstances I am really good at taking those stepping stones one by one at an even pace. However, when I am dealing with stressful circumstances, in the middle of a trial, or have an unexpected issue come up I tend to want to run through those steps as fast as I can. I am just like my grandchildren and when I try to run through those stepping stones on my own to escape the stressful situations, I stumble and fall.
I am learning that God wants me to walk with Him on those stepping stones whether I’m in a good place or a tough place. He does not want or need me running ahead of Him. I am also learning to look for the lessons even in the tough times as I step on each stone walking with Jesus.
I’ll give you a few examples. My husband, Wayne, has had to file for disability due to the fact that he is not able to be on his feet for any extended period of time. Let me just tell you that this process takes forever. He applied in January and here we are in May and his application is a little over 30% processed. Did I say this is taking forever?
I want this to be completed and approved. I feel like I want to run through those stepping stones of the approval process, but God is in control. He is walking right beside us and He is setting the pace. Our family is learning patience in this process. We are learning to look for and count our blessings while we wait. I feel sure this time is not being wasted as God is teaching us to totally rely on Him. It’s not in my control so there is no reason to run through those stepping stones on my own ahead of God, setting myself up to stumble and fall. I need to take one step at a time and only run if Jesus is holding my hand and directing me to do so.
Another thing I think we are learning through this process is to look for the good in every situation and in everything. Not being able to work has not been easy for my husband. He is a people person and, believe it or not, he loves to work. (Don’t tell him I said this but in my opinion he might just really love the social aspect of work. I did say he was a people person, didn’t I?)
However, he is looking for the good in this season of life. Wayne is taking small steps to discover a new purpose as he walks on the stepping stones with Jesus. He signed up to be a mentor at the elementary school and he has genuinely loved every minute of serving in this capacity. He is a mentor to a 2nd grade boy and they have become big buddies! He actually found out this week that he will add this 2nd grader's brother to his mentoring schedule for next year. This is a double blessing for Wayne!
He has also signed up to attend a meeting at our local recreation center as they are starting a special needs program. He is going to go to this meeting and see if there is a place he could serve there as well. Wayne could have run ahead of God on the stepping stones when he found out he could no longer work. He could have decided to take control of the situation and make his own path. However, I feel sure he would have stumbled and missed these opportunities that he has found as he has walked along the stepping stones with God. Wayne not only has found a blessing but he has also been able to see some good come out of his difficult situation.
One last thing I have noticed is to meet the difficult, stressful, and unexpected trials with courage. Obedience to God requires you to take steps while trusting Him. To do this, you have to be brave and courageous. I think I tend to want to run down that path to get out of that season in my life. However, if I walk with God at His pace, only run when He says run, then I am able to count my blessings, look for the good, and face life bravely knowing God is in control.
In Proverbs 4:12 it says “When you walk, your steps will not be hampered: when you run, you will not stumble.” This is referring to when we walk pursuing the way of wisdom, not taking matters into our own hands or walking at the pace we might “think” is best. When I run down those stepping stones without God they become stumbling blocks. I might not physically fall down but I most definitely could overlook the lesson, pass over the good, and miss the blessing.
Will I stumble and fall along the way at times? Yes! Will I get back up, brush off, and start again? Every. Single. Time. That is the only way I can get back in step with God.
I can’t control what will happen in my life or the outcome. I can only control how I react to what comes my way and who I am walking with. I am trying to learn in every situation to not walk ahead of God. I remind myself daily to follow His steps, walking with my eyes wide open to notice the good and count my blessings as I go. I don’t want to miss a step or an opportunity.
What about you? Are you running ahead of God and stumbling on the stepping stones or walking step by step with Him? Let’s allow our precious Savior to lead us step by step, whether times are easy or hard, and only follow only Him.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
