Story - Taking Steps
Short Story: Taking Steps
I just can’t do it, Priscilla thought to herself yet again. Her friends ran marathons, bench pressed, and did other valiant physical feats, but she just couldn’t. She wasn’t happy about her weakness, but there didn’t seem to be much she could do about it either.
Every week she went to a class at the gym. She studied how to exercise. But then she went back home, and life surrounded her. A thousand things demanded her attention, and somehow, exercise just slipped into the background.
She finally forced herself to go for a walk after dinner. But her mind was not on the walk, and her feet only mechanically went through the motions.
One day she casually confessed to a friend how little she felt she exercised. Her friend’s response surprised her. “Do you really want to get in shape, Priscilla?”
The question took Priscilla by surprise. “Of course I want to,” she stated, a tad sharper than necessary.
Her friend raised her eyebrows. “Well, then, you know what to do.”
“I do?” Priscilla asked in confusion.
Her friend smiled. “Of course you do. If you want to get in shape, you begin exercising. You take the first steps, even if they seem small to you. And you keep at it, refusing to give up when it’s not easy. Priscilla dear, don’t settle for the shape you’re in now—take steps to get where you want to be.”
“But I don’t know what steps to take,” Priscilla argued. Even as she said it, though, she blushed with embarrassment. Her father was an Olympic trainer–she’d only to ask him, and he’d show her exactly what to do and help her. In fact, he’d written down instructions already…she’d just been ignoring them. She didn’t really have any excuses; she just needed to begin.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8
In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following. 7 But stay away from worthless stories that are typical of old women. Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:6-8
As we move into late summer and look toward the start of school, it’s a wonderful time to think about steps we can take to seek God and trust Him more. Here are a few ideas:
▪ Pick a Scripture and read it daily each week, asking God to help you live in light of it.
▪ Commit or recommit to daily Bible reading. Don’t let Satan discourage you through comparisons against what others do. Start small if you need to–even a quick 2-minute reading is a beginning. View it like you do physical food–somehow, we make time to eat, even if it’s a quick bite on the go.
▪ Write a Scripture out and put it in your pocket, rereading it throughout the day.
▪ Put Scripture verses up over your light switches or some other place you look frequently as reminders.
▪ Make sure you’re in Christian fellowship/have spiritual accountability.
▪ Memorize Scripture. Again, start small if you need to.
▪ Choose to consciously praise.
▪ Whatever area God has brought to your attention, take the first step to respond, trusting Him to show the next one.
Know that as you take steps to seek God more, the enemy will try to discourage you. Don’t let him. Let each failure serve to drive you back to the cross and remind you of your great Savior who claimed all your sin as His own and freely gave you His righteousness. Remember the Christian walk is a battle–but Jesus has already won the victory. Choose to trust Him and take steps to obey what He says in His Word. Babies don’t start running without first learning to stand, toddle, and then walk. But imagine how sad it would be if a baby gave up after the first fall, discouraged because he couldn’t run!
And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:15
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
I just can’t do it, Priscilla thought to herself yet again. Her friends ran marathons, bench pressed, and did other valiant physical feats, but she just couldn’t. She wasn’t happy about her weakness, but there didn’t seem to be much she could do about it either.
Every week she went to a class at the gym. She studied how to exercise. But then she went back home, and life surrounded her. A thousand things demanded her attention, and somehow, exercise just slipped into the background.
She finally forced herself to go for a walk after dinner. But her mind was not on the walk, and her feet only mechanically went through the motions.
One day she casually confessed to a friend how little she felt she exercised. Her friend’s response surprised her. “Do you really want to get in shape, Priscilla?”
The question took Priscilla by surprise. “Of course I want to,” she stated, a tad sharper than necessary.
Her friend raised her eyebrows. “Well, then, you know what to do.”
“I do?” Priscilla asked in confusion.
Her friend smiled. “Of course you do. If you want to get in shape, you begin exercising. You take the first steps, even if they seem small to you. And you keep at it, refusing to give up when it’s not easy. Priscilla dear, don’t settle for the shape you’re in now—take steps to get where you want to be.”
“But I don’t know what steps to take,” Priscilla argued. Even as she said it, though, she blushed with embarrassment. Her father was an Olympic trainer–she’d only to ask him, and he’d show her exactly what to do and help her. In fact, he’d written down instructions already…she’d just been ignoring them. She didn’t really have any excuses; she just needed to begin.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8
In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following. 7 But stay away from worthless stories that are typical of old women. Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:6-8
As we move into late summer and look toward the start of school, it’s a wonderful time to think about steps we can take to seek God and trust Him more. Here are a few ideas:
▪ Pick a Scripture and read it daily each week, asking God to help you live in light of it.
▪ Commit or recommit to daily Bible reading. Don’t let Satan discourage you through comparisons against what others do. Start small if you need to–even a quick 2-minute reading is a beginning. View it like you do physical food–somehow, we make time to eat, even if it’s a quick bite on the go.
▪ Write a Scripture out and put it in your pocket, rereading it throughout the day.
▪ Put Scripture verses up over your light switches or some other place you look frequently as reminders.
▪ Make sure you’re in Christian fellowship/have spiritual accountability.
▪ Memorize Scripture. Again, start small if you need to.
▪ Choose to consciously praise.
▪ Whatever area God has brought to your attention, take the first step to respond, trusting Him to show the next one.
Know that as you take steps to seek God more, the enemy will try to discourage you. Don’t let him. Let each failure serve to drive you back to the cross and remind you of your great Savior who claimed all your sin as His own and freely gave you His righteousness. Remember the Christian walk is a battle–but Jesus has already won the victory. Choose to trust Him and take steps to obey what He says in His Word. Babies don’t start running without first learning to stand, toddle, and then walk. But imagine how sad it would be if a baby gave up after the first fall, discouraged because he couldn’t run!
And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:15
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
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