“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps”—Proverbs 16:9 (NLT).
Using a step counter to monitor the miles I walk each week helps me to stay on track with my plans to stay healthy. To log 25 miles a week, I must walk 50,000 steps from Monday morning to the following Sunday evening.
I never realized how many steps I logged each day doing the following: cleaning the house, taking a break from writing to add a load of laundry to the washer and then the dryer, or walking out to get my mail. Numerous other household chores add to the steps I accumulate each day.
My miles also add up with the steps I take each time I go for a walk through my lakeside neighborhood. Weather permitting, I usually log another four to six thousand steps outside daily.
Reaching my Goals
Although I strive to walk 50,000 steps a week, I don’t always reach my goal. Why? Let’s just say God has a way of disrupting my carefully laid plans.
In the past, when my daily routine was interrupted, I became frustrated. I lived by a list, enjoying the thrill of checking off each accomplishment. But I’ve learned that living by a list of to-do’s is not God’s plan for my life.
Since I released my need to be in control of my life, God has redirected my steps many times. The places He’s led me and the people I’ve met along the way are far more interesting than those pesky items on my to-do list.
Life-Changing Steps Followed
When I fully surrendered my life to Jesus, life-changing steps followed. As my faith has grown, so has my desire to serve Him, to let Him lead me on the path He has chosen for me. Not the path of least resistance, but a challenging path often requiring me to cling to the hem of His garment.
I never dreamed I’d move to a new community—where I could count on one hand the number of people I knew—after I gave up my 30-year teaching career in 2005. However, when I followed in His steps, Jesus began to open doors I couldn’t on my own, leading to a new life chapter.
My writing and speaking ministries have given me opportunities to share and encourage other women as they, too, navigate the journey God has planned for them. Even when there were those who doubted I’d made the right decision to leave my teaching career, I’ve never once looked back.
Following in His Steps
What would you have done if Jesus had approached you on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and asked you to drop everything and follow Him? What might following in His steps mean? How many steps would you log? Remember, Jesus walked everywhere
According to Professor of Theology Douglas S. Winnail, “To make the customary three trips to Jerusalem each year to keep the Holy Days (Passover, Pentecost and the fall festivals (Leviticus 23; Luke 2:41-42), Jesus would have walked about 150 miles round-trip on each occasion. Just to keep the Holy Days, Jesus would have walked in excess of 450 miles each year. When you consider that He probably walked a mile or more a day during the rest of the year, it is not hard to see that Jesus could have easily walked more than 1,000 miles every year.”
The miles racked up would be on dusty roads. There would be no convenience stores along the way to stop for sustenance or a restroom break. It wasn’t a glamorous life.
You Can’t Follow Halfheartedly
“Following Christ isn’t something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side,” says Francis Chan, preacher. “It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are.”
Commitment to Christ’s steps requires us to walk away from the things of this world. It’s not easy. It requires a daily dying to self. It means rearranging our priorities. A letting go of our to-do lists.
Fully committing to Him means being prepared to let God interrupt your day. There’s no need to count your steps. Just follow.
Carol, this is a wonderful blog, and fits with my devotions and prayers for the day. a sign from the Lord. also fits with my list-making tendencies also with fit-bit, with its counting of steps, which I gave up long ago. I love it when God interrupts our plans, but not always. 🙂
Thank you, Dietrich. I still struggle to let Him have my to-do list. But I am so much better than I used to be. I used to be obsessed. Now, I just don’t want to forget anything. However, I don’t get upset if I don’t get everything on my list completed each day.
This one really hit home! God has been teaching me some of the same lessons.
He does that, doesn’t He, Charlene. Just when we need it, right? Thanks for stopping by to read my post and to leave a comment. I appreciate you! Blessings always.
Awesome!
Thank you, Kim!!
Thank you Carol. This is a timely reminder and word of encouragement! 😀
Thank you for the comment, Lynne. When a reader responds to one of my posts, it encourages me to continue doing what God has called me to do. Even encouragers need encouragement. Thanks for the encouragement.
Very insightful.
Thank you, Phyllis! And, thank you for stopping by to read and respond to my post. Have a blessed rest of your week.
Carol, Your article reminds me of a quote by Corrie Ten Boom. ‘Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible’ Imagine setting out to take a step of faith? You have to speak to your mind and once your subconscious agrees with it, you raise up and take that step. All the micro-steps lead up to taking the first step, but you have to take others to continue to where you want. The innate power of worship whether in solace or at work is incomprehensible. But each day, we spur ourselves up, keep moving in faith, despite… Read more »
I’ve read Corrie’s quote before. I love it! I have taken so many steps of faith–sometimes big leaps–since I gave my life to Christ in 2001, I’ve lost count. For a woman who used to be a control freak and filled with fear of the unknown, God has done an amazing thing in me and in my life. I give Him all the glory for leading me on this path and look forward to what He has in store for me. And, you are so right, it is only through HIM that we can take the steps necessary to freedom… Read more »