Saturday, July 25, 2009

One Step At A Time

by Donna L. Watkins

Sometimes life throws something so huge at you that you freeze in terror of it consuming your very being. There are many life tragedies that become so painful they are unspeakable. Only our hearts and minds contain the agony and cries to our Father for relief, hope and direction. The belief that life will one day again be "normal" or make sense.

© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - Welcome to Bluebird Cove, Our Garden in Virginia
Psalm 119:105 say, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." In ancient European monasteries, monks walked dark corridors with candles on the top of their shoes, which gave them just enough light for the next step. That's the way God wants to lead us. We try to grasp the entire problem to make sense of it and expect to see the full plan of our way out. We couldn't handle it if we were given it.

Educator Verdell Davis' faith was challenged when her husband of thirty years was killed in a plane crash. She had no involvement in the paperwork of finances and a multitude of other things that her husband had handled, so facing a mountain of letters, bills, and insurance forms she spread them all on a table and threw a sheet over them. Out of sight, out of mind she thought.

She writes: "I knew the monster under the sheets was going to attack me if I didn't attack it first. I sat down and cried tears of anger, frustration, and loneliness. Eventually I raised my head and said, 'Okay, Lord, I'm a fairly bright girl. I'm going to open one envelope. If I can make sense of what's inside I'll open another. If not, I'm putting this sheet back ... and going back to bed.' Even that bit of levity was a little extra light for that particular step. Back then I wanted to already know how to take care of all the details ... feel confident about the monumental daily decisions I had to make ... have some clue that the steps in front of me were surmountable. I wanted the path flooded with light ... yet, it was with small flickers of candle glow that God gently reminded me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness' (2Cor. 12:9). The Psalmist said, "Blessed are those who have learned to ... walk in the light of your presence' (Psalm 89:15). I only needed light for one envelope, one conversation, one decision, and one step at a time."

So do you!

Related Article: Overwhelmed, Fearful, Anxious and Tired

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© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com.
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