One Foot in Front of the Other

 Deuteronomy 31:6 > "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." (ESV)


When I was a child I looked forward to the Christmas programs that came on. I eagerly awaited seeing Santa ride across the TV screen on an electric razor. Then I knew Christmas was coming. One of my favorite programs was Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. The idea of a man delivering toys to children made my child's heart feel warm and fuzzy. What child, or grown up for that matter, doesn't like to receive a gift? A gift given out of pure kindness. While growing up I still looked forward to that sweet little program. It always made me feel like a carefree child again. As an adult, I would look for any reason possible to mentally travel back in time. I wanted to feel like that carefree child again.

However, it's the Winter Warlock that I find myself waiting for now. Strange, I know. But there's just something about him now that intrigues me more. I remember how Kris Kringle melted his icy heart by giving him an unexpected gift. Before you knew it, Winter Warlock was asking for Kris' help to change. That meant he was going to have to learn to walk differently. That was going to take courage on his part. Sound familiar? It's not easy to learn to walk differently. And it is certainly not easy to take that first step out of fear and into courage.

It's the words that were sang in the Christmas program that have stayed with me for quite some time. They've stayed in my heart. "Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door." That's exactly what you have to do if you want to live life courageously. You have to simply put one foot in front of the other. It's how you get started. And of course, getting started is the hardest part. It's scary, it's leaving what your used to and stepping out into something that is unfamiliar.

Just like the Winter Warlock, I had discovered that I, too, could learn to live courageously. I, too, could take that first step in faith. I could allow fear to paralyze me and get me in bondage; or I could be strong AND courageous. Living courageously is possible. It's possible because we aren't left alone to figure it all out. God goes with us, His children. He will not leave us or forsake us.

Kris Kringle was there with Winter Warlock as he took his first steps of courage. He cheered him on! Would a loving God be out done by a Christmas cartoon? Absolutely not! God is cheering us on, also, as we take those first steps of courage. He might possibly be whispering, "Put one foot in front of  the other and soon you'll be walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door."