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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

A Step of Faith

 
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to travel through Yellowstone National park with my Dad.  One adventurous afternoon we decided to take a hike down to the Lower Falls.  I enjoyed the leisurely hike through the woods.  Then we reached the stairs.  I am deathly afraid of heights but the excitement of seeing the falls made me push forward.  I walked behind my dad as we descended down the steep cliffs.
 
About half way my Dad and I got separated and I made a dreadful mistake.  I looked down.The holes in the grated metal stairs left nothing to the imagination.  The jagged rocks taunted me from the bottom of the canyon.  All of a sudden my head started spinning and I sat on the stairs, frozen in place.

To make a long story short, after a few minutes my Dad came up to rescue me.  Together we made it down the rest of the stairs, but only because my Dad held my hand the whole way down.
 
In the end, reward of seeing the waterfall cascading down the canyon made every terrifying step worth it. 

In life I sometimes find myself in these situations.  God asks me to take a step of faith and I freeze.  God, the task is too big, too scary.  I don’t even know how to get started, I say.  My fear of falling makes the task seem huge and daunting.

Recently, the task of writing my first book proposal felt like this.  After over a year of writing and editing, my first novel was ready to send out to publishers.  The fear of rejection nagged at me.  I felt like I had too little experience to get noticed.  However in my daily devotional, God sent me a verse of encouragement.

 “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

 I felt like God was telling me I had to start somewhere.  I needed to take a step of faith.  Regardless of the outcome, I know God is in control and is much bigger then my fears.  With Jesus holding my hand, I can make it up those steps.

Has God ever led you to take a step of faith that seemed huge and daunting?  How did He help you overcome your fear?  Please feel free to comment and share your own stories.

Thank you for reading and God bless!


2 comments:

  1. Rachel,
    Thank you for sharing your story and the bigger picture. I really enjoyed and could identify with this post!
    I recently had a similar experience. The first time around, I was actually in a kind of denial. I didn't want anyone to know that I was legally blind so tried to bluff my way through life without telling anyone--with disastrous results. Like you, I froze when it came to sharing this information. But I took that step of faith and amazingly, when people knew what my real problem was, they accepted me. Like you, I took that step (now with long cane in hand) and the end was worth it! If you want to read my story, you can find it at: http://amybovaird.com/the-class-reunion/

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  2. Amy, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my post and thank you for sharing your experiences. Isn't it amazing how God can bring us through rough times and use our experiences to bless others? Your story is a great encouragement to me. I came across your website last week and read your newest blog post. Your experiences and places you have traveled sound exciting. I will be sure to go back and read the rest of your story. Thank you for reading and commenting. I hope you have a blessed day.

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