Small steps

A frequent theme in the teachings of Jesus is for us to follow Him. In Mt. 4:19, Jesus tells Peter and Andrew to come follow Him, and He will make them fishers of men. Then, 4 chapters later in Mt. 8:22, he tells the disciples to "...follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." I used to think that whenever we made the decision to follow Jesus, it would consist of huge steps in directions I had never been. This is always scary and I'm sure holds many of us back from taking that step. Occasionally, God may be calling us to take a big step in an unknown direction, but in my life, the steps to follow Jesus have been small ones that slowly lead me in a slightly different direction than where I had been headed. For a time, the path following Jesus has almost been parallel to the way I had been going, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, it begins to turn in a different direction. Then, as I have walked along that path, I have come to streams, creeks, and rivers that require a larger step of faith to be made. But for me, the initial steps were small. It is only after looking back over 5-10 years that I notice how far off the original path I have come.

Obedience is certainly found in taking the large steps of faith that God requires of us. But, most of the time, obedience is found in taking the small everyday steps that consist simply of taking time to be with Him, and avoiding that which we know He doesn't want us to do. Small steps of using our time, talent and treasure for His glory. Small steps of taking the time to listen to His Spirit within us leading us in the small decisions of the day. After all, if we are going to run a marathon, it is not accomplished with one large step, but with many small ones.