111 Steps

“Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:33

In our walk of faith we often find the steps difficult and disconcerting. It doesn’t always come easy, this "one foot in front of the other, God has me, I can do this, I will trust, I will not fall", journey.  We stumble, we wobble, and we get winded.

We have our bibles to remind us that the path which we are on has been traveled before. Look closely at that gouge in the dirt ahead and you may see Paul’s knee print from a time when he fell, or the outline of Timothy’s body from when he laid down one day to take a rest, or Stephen’s hand prints from when he was being stoned to death.  They are road markers, these prints, left to remind us of the sacrifices made by the those who have come before us, and to encourage us to carry on, even when we are tired, even when we don't want to.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, my son had double leg surgery a few years ago.  They cut muscle tissue, and bone above both knees.  He spent two months in casts, and most of the next two months in physical therapy with a walker that he could barely use.  At the age of eight he was basically being asked to learn how to walk again. But each day, no matter how much it hurt, he dug deep and put one foot in front of the other. How did he do this? With will and determination, yes. But also with the love and encouragement of those around him: his mother and I, his little sister (with her two year old “ya-candoooo-it bra, bra” speeches), his physical therapists and many others.

This went on for awhile but I can still remember the the night that I came home from work only to be stopped at the front door by my wife. Across the living room stood my son. “Watch Dad,” he said. Then he proceeded to take 12 unassisted steps to me, arms wide and with a big smile. He was wiped out but it was a great moment. The next morning he took 34. The next 111.

Remember the 111. Why? Because it was nearly ten times the number he took when last he felt he could take no more and it was ten times LESS the number he took a few months later. 

Over the course of his lifetime he will take many more steps, in life and in faith. 

As will you and I.