"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way, Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." Psalm 37:23
Good morning, dear friends!
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| Photo: staffordgreen0 pixabay public domain |
For the first time in nearly two weeks, I walked a little bit here at the house without my knee brace! How weak my legs have gotten! I never thought that I would be tired after just walking such a little bit. I'm not completely over my knee problems (I probably have at least another week with the brace) but it's definitely going in the right direction.
How wonderful it was to take a few steps today!
I have been thinking a lot in recent days about my steps, and about walking. So many passages in God’s Word compare our lives with a journey, a walk measured by individual steps in my life. If God describes my life as a journey made of individual steps, then each step that I take must be important to Him and to others around me.
Here are some very simple thoughts about footprints today that the Lord showed me, of how my walk with the Lord influences others around me.
Everyone makes footprints. Popular culture today uses the image of footprints to talk about the impact our choices have on others. A “digital footprint” is determined by the amount of time a person spends online and the sites a person visits. Companies use this information to prepare advertisements geared toward a person’s internet consumption. A “carbon footprint” talks about the impact my life choices have on the environment. If I were to listen to environmentalists, my goal in life should be to have “zero footprint”, or a negative footprint, meaning that I am doing no harm to the environment by my lifestyle.
Many people have adopted this attitude to their personal lives as well: “I’m going to live my life as I please. I’m not hurting anyone else. I do as I please, others do as they please, and everyone is happy.” While this might seem great to those who want to “live and let live,” in reality these words are lies. No one person here on earth can live completely for himself or herself: our decisions affect ourselves and those around us. The Bible is clear that there are two different types of steps that everyone makes. There are the wicked man’s steps: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12 There are also the righteous man’s steps: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalms 37:23)
My footprints are unique. Crime scene investigators use footprints as well as fingerprints for determining viable suspects and eliminating others. Shoe size, shoe wear, distinctive markings or movement patterns are all identifying markers. There are even databases with footprints, which are apparently as distinctive as fingerprints.
My footsteps reveal much about my life: the things I value, the relationships I maintain, my habits and priorities. Is it any wonder that God cares so much about the individual steps that I leave? Romans 6:4 reminds me that my walk is distinctive: I have been called to walk "in newness of life." Am I walking as the world, or as a child of God?
My footsteps lead somewhere. As a child, I loved following animal footprints in the dirt where we lived. Following footprints in the snow is fun. I remember when my children were little out in the snow, trying to walk in their Daddy's tracks, so much wider than their own strides. In this same way I am reminded that I need to walk so that my footsteps lead my children and those around me to Jesus. I Peter 2:21-25 is a beautiful passage talking about Christ's walk here on earth. As I read these words, I cannot help but wonder: Are my steps leading people toward God, or away from Him?
Where will you be walking to today?
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