Baby Steps around the World

Perhaps you have heard the Sunday School song "One Step More"? You know, the one where you ask for strength or faith or (you fill in the blank) to advance a single pace further by God's grace. Well, I felt in need of significant faith as I completed yet another minor task. With a silent prayer, I called Bell and cancelled my cell.

Paying for a phone you can only use at exorbitant rates, especially when you have a functioning German handy, would be absurd, I reasoned. How can I justify it as an expense? Why is this even an issue when so many other larger and more significant changes have occurred in the last two months? If you have insight as to reasons it mattered, please fill me in. I haven't a clue. It just did. I was still speaking with the Bell service representative when the line cut out and my heart skipped a beat.

Sometimes, you need to press forward in the journey. A pivotal verse in Luke tells of just such an occasion: "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (9:51). At this point, he had already left the glory of God, taken on humble human form, grown up in a less-than-nowhere town, and been opposed by all known religion. What was so transformative about this journey? This would be the final crossroads before the crucifixion, the last exit from the excruciating destiny awaiting him. Christ chose the cross.

Please know, I'm not equating these experiences. I do feel perspective eases the journey for me, however. I can take my baby step over here in Kandern because my Saviour took a much harder path. And I'm not alone, either. I know the Way (John 14:6) and I live in a community seeking to honour him, in word and in deed.

Here's me, just returned from a rather windy and wet fall walk in the countryside. My trusty guide took the picture.

During October, the staff wellness challenge at Black Forest Academy is encouraging colleagues to travel together. The staff plans to walk around the globe, so to speak, covering the distance it would take to circumnavigate the equator. That's a whopping 40075 kilometres, if you're wondering, but my contribution will be only a part of this eventual achievement.

Your life is part of a bigger whole, too. Your path may be steep, but you aren't alone. God's placed people around you to come alongside. He has already taken the most treacherous trek so you wouldn't have to. All you need is faith for one step more, the step he is calling you to take today.