The Final Step
There's a Chinese proverb that says "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Much can often be made of that proverbial "first step". They say that the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one. That takes a lot of humility and means conceding that one doesn't have it all together. Taking that first step in any event can often be so hard because it's taking a leap (err, step) of faith one way or another. It's going into unchartered territory and uncertainty. Still, that doesn't mean that we should never take that first step. That's how we grow. A lot gets made of taking the first step -- and rightfully so. But what about that elusive final step? It's one thing to begin a journey, what about finishing it? And what if the final step is just as important as the first one, but in a different way?
If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then it also ends with a single step. In theory, both steps should be the same level of difficulty - they're just single steps.However, it's one thing to take that first step when energy and optimism may be abound, it's another thing when one's gone 999 miles and taken countless steps and endured countless hardships along the way. The final step is more mental than anything. If you're on the doorstep of your dreams or on the edge of glory (or, in the Israelites case, the edge of the Promised Land), it's less about what you have to do and more about what you have to believe; the final step is believing that you are good enough in Jesus Christ.
About a year ago, I wrote a blog post titled "Good Enough" and talked about the struggles I've had of feeling like I don't measure up and am not good enough. In some ways, I suppose today's post is a continuation of that - a more complete picture. For the longest time, I knew I wanted to do a blog post about taking "the final step", but the problem was that I didn't know what the final step was. Over the past few months, I've come to see what it truly is: believing that one's good enough in Jesus Christ.
When we get to the "finish lines" in our lives, it's no long about whether or not we belong. It's about what we believe. After all, we've made it so far, endured so many hardships, and yet here we are on the footsteps of where we want to go or be. It's important to remember that and not forget how far we've come, how much we've grown. God has led us that far to that moment in time for a reason. We just have to believe that through Him and through Jesus Christ, we are good enough. On our own, we aren't good enough. But thankfully, through Christ, we don't have to be good enough - but we have to believe that we're good enough in Him.
Now, as a disclaimer, believing that we're good enough in Jesus Christ doesn't mean that we'll always be successful in reaching our goals or dreams. There are times we may come painfully close to what we want...only for it to not work out for one reason or another. To be clear though, that does not inherently mean that we weren't good enough - those are the types of destructive lies that we tell ourselves that shatter our confidence and make us doubt our faith. If things don't work out, it is imperative that we find our contentment and our peace in Christ knowing that we gave it our best shot and were right there.
This week, I've been reading through the Book of Joshua, where the Israelites finally reached the Promised Land after wandering around in the desert for 40 years. To back things up a bit, the Israelites had the opportunity to enter in to the Promised Land 40 years earlier, but they made one crucial mistake: they didn't believe that they could conquer the Promised Land and that God would be with them. It's truly amazing that they had seen all the amazing things God had done in their lives and through Moses, and yet they still found themselves not believing that God would be with them when they were on the edge of the very land He promised them for years. The Israelites had seen God lead them out of slavery in Egypt) and seen God provide for them countless times after they complained to Moses (they literally had food fall from the sky for them!). However, when the 12 spies were sent to check out the Promised Land, they saw that it was filled with giants, and all but two of them (Joshua and Caleb) bemoaned that they was no hope for them. Guess which two spies inherited to the Promised Land?
In the Israelites' case, they were literally on the edge of the Promised Land. And in this case, what it came down to was less facing the giants in front of them and more believing that God would help them face the giants. Because they didn't believe they were good enough with God and that He would be with them, they were punished and never got to live in the Promised Land. It was their children (as well as Joshua and Caleb) that got to inherit it - and that was after wandering around in the desert for 40 years. All of this is to say, when we don't take the final step, when we don't believe that we're good enough through God and Jesus Christ, we fall short - and sometimes the consequences for it are severe. When we're facing our own giants in our lives, it's important that we remember not who we're fighting but who is fighting with us - God!
A few weeks ago at church, there was also a sermon at church that talked about Joseph and how he is remembered for the way he walked with God every step of his life. The way Joseph walked with God in his life was so integral to Joseph's life that other aspects of his life were secondary. There's so much power in that. Joseph went through some crazy trials (being sold into slavery by his brothers, being thrown in to prison for a crime he didn't commit), and yet he always walked with God. It was during that sermon where I finally realized what the final step is. Over the past few months, I've seen a lot of changes in my life and a lot of growth that's come with it. That growth first stemmed from realizing it's not about what I can do on my own, but about what God can do through me - and that's been a huge confidence booster.
To close, if you find yourself on the edge of the dreams/goals or if you find yourself lost and wandering, know this: you are good enough through God and Jesus Christ. When you walk with God, He is with you every step of the way. And He will make that final step a lot easier.
If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then it also ends with a single step. In theory, both steps should be the same level of difficulty - they're just single steps.However, it's one thing to take that first step when energy and optimism may be abound, it's another thing when one's gone 999 miles and taken countless steps and endured countless hardships along the way. The final step is more mental than anything. If you're on the doorstep of your dreams or on the edge of glory (or, in the Israelites case, the edge of the Promised Land), it's less about what you have to do and more about what you have to believe; the final step is believing that you are good enough in Jesus Christ.
About a year ago, I wrote a blog post titled "Good Enough" and talked about the struggles I've had of feeling like I don't measure up and am not good enough. In some ways, I suppose today's post is a continuation of that - a more complete picture. For the longest time, I knew I wanted to do a blog post about taking "the final step", but the problem was that I didn't know what the final step was. Over the past few months, I've come to see what it truly is: believing that one's good enough in Jesus Christ.
When we get to the "finish lines" in our lives, it's no long about whether or not we belong. It's about what we believe. After all, we've made it so far, endured so many hardships, and yet here we are on the footsteps of where we want to go or be. It's important to remember that and not forget how far we've come, how much we've grown. God has led us that far to that moment in time for a reason. We just have to believe that through Him and through Jesus Christ, we are good enough. On our own, we aren't good enough. But thankfully, through Christ, we don't have to be good enough - but we have to believe that we're good enough in Him.
Now, as a disclaimer, believing that we're good enough in Jesus Christ doesn't mean that we'll always be successful in reaching our goals or dreams. There are times we may come painfully close to what we want...only for it to not work out for one reason or another. To be clear though, that does not inherently mean that we weren't good enough - those are the types of destructive lies that we tell ourselves that shatter our confidence and make us doubt our faith. If things don't work out, it is imperative that we find our contentment and our peace in Christ knowing that we gave it our best shot and were right there.
This week, I've been reading through the Book of Joshua, where the Israelites finally reached the Promised Land after wandering around in the desert for 40 years. To back things up a bit, the Israelites had the opportunity to enter in to the Promised Land 40 years earlier, but they made one crucial mistake: they didn't believe that they could conquer the Promised Land and that God would be with them. It's truly amazing that they had seen all the amazing things God had done in their lives and through Moses, and yet they still found themselves not believing that God would be with them when they were on the edge of the very land He promised them for years. The Israelites had seen God lead them out of slavery in Egypt) and seen God provide for them countless times after they complained to Moses (they literally had food fall from the sky for them!). However, when the 12 spies were sent to check out the Promised Land, they saw that it was filled with giants, and all but two of them (Joshua and Caleb) bemoaned that they was no hope for them. Guess which two spies inherited to the Promised Land?
In the Israelites' case, they were literally on the edge of the Promised Land. And in this case, what it came down to was less facing the giants in front of them and more believing that God would help them face the giants. Because they didn't believe they were good enough with God and that He would be with them, they were punished and never got to live in the Promised Land. It was their children (as well as Joshua and Caleb) that got to inherit it - and that was after wandering around in the desert for 40 years. All of this is to say, when we don't take the final step, when we don't believe that we're good enough through God and Jesus Christ, we fall short - and sometimes the consequences for it are severe. When we're facing our own giants in our lives, it's important that we remember not who we're fighting but who is fighting with us - God!
A few weeks ago at church, there was also a sermon at church that talked about Joseph and how he is remembered for the way he walked with God every step of his life. The way Joseph walked with God in his life was so integral to Joseph's life that other aspects of his life were secondary. There's so much power in that. Joseph went through some crazy trials (being sold into slavery by his brothers, being thrown in to prison for a crime he didn't commit), and yet he always walked with God. It was during that sermon where I finally realized what the final step is. Over the past few months, I've seen a lot of changes in my life and a lot of growth that's come with it. That growth first stemmed from realizing it's not about what I can do on my own, but about what God can do through me - and that's been a huge confidence booster.
To close, if you find yourself on the edge of the dreams/goals or if you find yourself lost and wandering, know this: you are good enough through God and Jesus Christ. When you walk with God, He is with you every step of the way. And He will make that final step a lot easier.
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| Speaking of taking steps...there's nothing like stepping on the beach! |
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