One Small Step

“Faith is taking the first step even when you do not see the whole staircase.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Do you often wonder if God has a purpose for your life? Are there days when you feel like you aren’t being effective for Him? Sometimes we feel this way when we don’t know His whole plan. We’d love for God to drop us a roadmap, a bullet point list, or maybe a high-def vision of the journey ahead; but unfortunately, that's not how He works. There are times in our lives when we must take the first step without knowing our destination. We have to trust in Him.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

It was a cold, dreary day in Northern Ohio, and I was a junior in high school. Like every other student my age, I had spent the last year trying to decide where I wanted to go to college when I graduated and what I wanted to study. Under the self-inflicted, suffocating pressure, I felt like I had to make the right choice and my entire future depended on it. Although the daughter of a Science teacher, I really didn’t love the subject, but I was strongly considering Nursing as the path I would take. I’m not even sure why I thought that was a good choice for me, but it seemed like a viable option at the time with a good income and flexible schedule.

On this particular day, I was sitting at the kitchen table doing Chemistry homework and hating every minute of it. My mom shuffled around cooking dinner, and I proceeded to complain. After a few minutes, she stopped what she was doing to look at me and said, “And why do you want to go into nursing?” I couldn’t give her an answer, so I simply shrugged. She continued, “You may not know what God’s purpose for your life is right now, but I’d start by looking at the things you enjoy, not the things that make you miserable. His plan is for your good.” So I did just that and realized I love the subject of English. It led me to teaching and then to the Communications Team here at Opendoor. We never know where God will lead us, but we must start by taking the first step.

It may seem like common sense to most, but often we overthink it. We are searching for the Holy Grail of God’s Purpose & Plan. Sometimes He just wants us to start in the smallest places then trust Him to guide us from there. 

ACTIVATION: Pastor Michael gave us 3 steps to discover God’s calling on your life:
  1. Ask Him.
  2. Listen.
  3. Write it down.

Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. - Jeremiah 33:2 NLT

JOURNAL: Are you struggling with finding God’s purpose for your life? What is one small step you can take today?

PRAYER: Pray Psalm 25:4-5.
Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
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