A woman stepped off an escalator at the shopping mall, paused briefly, and said to a friend who was following, “Where are we going?”<\/p>\n
Her friend answered, “I don’t know. Where are we?”<\/p>\n
Overhearing the conversation, I smiled, recognizing a significant life principle: we need to know where we are to figure out where we’re going.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019ve heard this Yogi Berra-ism: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be very careful if you don\u2019t know where you are going, because you might not get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explains why some of us are where we are. We don\u2019t know where we\u2019re going!<\/p>\n
Do you have a plan to get to where you want to be? Setting goals is easy. The challenge is developing a plan to reach them.<\/p>\n
Jesus has a way of simplifying things. \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\nJesus has a way of simplifying things. \u201cFollow me.\u201d <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n He extends to us the same simple invitation he offered his disciples long ago.<\/p>\n What that means, in his own words: \u201c\u2026If anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]\u201d (Matthew 16:24 Amplified).<\/p>\n Notice two aspects of following: cleave steadfastly and conform wholly. I had a general idea of what those words meant, but Webster\u2019s dictionary gave clarity.<\/p>\nTwo aspects of following Jesus: cleave steadfastly and conform wholly. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n Cleave: to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly.<\/p>\n Steadfast: firmly fixed in place, immovable, not subject to change, unwavering, unfaltering, unswerving.<\/p>\n Conform: to be in agreement or harmony.<\/p>\n Wholly: completely, to the exclusion of other things.<\/p>\n These words are like a mirror reflecting my commitment. Do I cleave steadfastly to Jesus, adhere firmly, loyally and unwaveringly, firmly fixed, immovable, unfaltering, unswerving? Am I conformed wholly to his example, completely in harmony with him, doing exactly what He would do?<\/p>\n I wish.<\/p>\n Often my steps falter. Like a toddler learning to walk, I seem to spend more time on the ground than on foot.<\/p>\n Like the loving Father he is, God lifts and steadies me until I find firm footing to continue following him.<\/p>\n The Psalmist David said, \u201cUphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip\u201d (Psalm 17:5 NKJV)<\/p>\n That\u2019s a good daily prayer. But what if wrong reactions and bad decisions do cause my feet to slip? Answer:<\/p>\n \u201cThe steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand\u201d (Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV).<\/p>\n The<\/em> Practice of the Presence of God<\/em> explains how the beloved Brother Lawrence faced those slips: \u201cwhen he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault, saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself; it is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss<\/em>\u2026after this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.\u201d<\/p>\n My plan is to follow Jesus, wherever the path leads.<\/p>\n How about you? Sometimes he leads us along rocky terrain. I\u2019d love to hear about your journey and God\u2019s faithfulness. Hope you\u2019ll leave a comment. And I\u2019d be honored if you\u2019d share this post with your friends!<\/p>\n \u00a9 2018 Dianne Barker<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A woman stepped off an escalator at the shopping mall, paused briefly, and said to a friend who was following, “Where are we going?” Her friend answered, “I don’t know. Where are we?” Overhearing the conversation, I smiled, recognizing a significant life principle: we need to know where we are to figure out where we’re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,36,37],"class_list":["post-550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barker","tag-following-jesus-one-faltering-step-at-a-time","tag-when-my-feet-slip"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo aspects of following<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Learning to walk<\/strong><\/h3>\n