True Faith

A simple and evocative quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., shared by a good friend on Facebook … “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

That is a truly powerful image of the future. After all, can we really know what will happen in the next year or next month or next week or even the next minute? We can expect that some things will indeed happen … a weekend trip you have planned, a meeting you will attend, a prayer time you have set aside. But we will only know in hindsight if they did happen as we expected.

Taking the first step is truly the most important thing we can do, in all things. A philosopher once said “Every journey begins with but a single step” and that is so true. When I think about anything I’ve done in my life, I know it began with a step of faith … a college choice, a career decision, a choice of a soulmate, any number of geographical moves, a decision to sell a business, to join a new church, to sign up for a small church community … everywhere I look, there has been a first step of faith.

Many years ago, I was asked to create a lifeline as part of a Pre-Cana exercise. It was harder and more rewarding than I ever thought it would be, and almost thirty years later I still remember one of the things I learned about myself: I love change and relish the opportunity to live anew. That continues to this day, but I don’t think I would be as open to change if it wasn’t for the first steps of faith that have led me.

There is no way I foresaw the staircase I am on, but I know it is the one God has planned for me. I pray that I will always look at change with joy, and realize that every day is another first step of faith … and one step closer to Him.