Day #17

Day #17: Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

(I wish I would’ve posted this a few days ago, as this wise and profound statement was made by a man who demonstrated his faith daily, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

This week, I got the chance to spend a few hours with a super cute kid who is nine months old…. and on the verge of walking. He is like a race car when he crawls (especially when he sees his brown blanket) and is testing the waters with this whole concept of walking. He pulls up on everything, and wants you to help him walk until he wants to sit down. He then pulls back up, walks, sits. And repeats. Over. And Over. And Over. He thinks it’s great. It’s what kids do in the process of learning to walk. And one day (very soon), he’ll only need you to hold one of his hands, and then “TA-DA!”…he’ll be walking on his own.

The process of walking is human nature. It just happens. Babies don’t question it. They don’t even really get scared (unless they fall down… and then a good cry and probably brown blanket does the trick). They get back up and go at it again until they get it…. One step at a time. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we did in life was with a similar attitude to this? That we didn’t question so many things. That we didn’t get so worked up over things. That we had enough faith to take that first step, even when we don’t see the whole staircase.

After my last knee surgery, in the literal sense, I really had to muster up some faith to take one step. I was leg-brace free and although the doctors and therapists said my knee would be fine to walk on, I stood frozen, most likely with a tear rolling down my face. (The tear ducts worked pretty good those months.) I remember it being one of the silliest yet scariest things I had to do. Literally take a step.

However, while a few of you might understand that kind of first step, this quote and blog is really about the “figurative” steps we have to take in our lives. Taking a chance. Changing careers. Moving. Starting friendships/relationships. Ending friendships/relationships. Trying something new. Forgiving someone. Following your gut. Or your heart. Believing in yourself. Trusting again. Making that phone call. Telling someone how you feel. Stop worrying about what the world might say. (Insert your own leap of faith here.)

Mustering up faith to take that first step isn’t always easy…. It can come with fear. anxiety. panic. But you CAN do it! And once you take that first step into the unknown, it gets easier. You take another step… and another… and before you know it, you will wonder why it took you so long to take that very first step…. And you will also be on your way to telling an even better story with your life.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Start walking.