Icy Sidewalks

Responding to God's instruction when we receive it has really been on my heart lately. It's super easy, in theory. We hear THE WORD and we do it, right? Except, I don't ever get a nice, clear, booming voice from a mountain, an Angel appearing to me or a burning bush. Seriously, If I had that, I feel like it would be much easier to obey. Instead, I have a small voice waaaaay deep inside that talks to me. It's so easy to overlook that voice, to let the voices in my head (hahah) over power it and to let the din of life and the world around me drown it out. But it's scary to follow it. Really scary. He doesn't ask anything nice and simple, right?

There's a big hill here where I go to PWOC every morning. I park at the top, walk down the steep hill to the watchcare building and then hike back up to where PWOC meets. It's a bit of a long walk and it's been snowy and icy lately. This is such a small post that maintenance crews are nearly non-existent and they pretty much stick to the main roads. The chaplain's can be out there the sidewalk so that sidewalk is rather dicey. Every Tuesday, I start praying at the top of the hill as I creep down the icy, snowy sidewalk, clutching my sweet DeeDee in my arms.

It occurred to me during one of these walks that obeying God is like that. No one takes a running leap onto an ice patch..that would just be foolish. We all know that we'd end up sliding across the ice with a bruised behind and maybe a cracked skull. Instead, to get across an icy patch, we have to take it sloooow and easy; we gently step out on to the ice, placing our feet carefully and take teeny, tiny shuffling steps. One foot next to the other, I don't even put one foot all the way in front of the other because that's reaching too far. I test the ground and make sure I'm on solid footing and keeping my balance before taking another step. 

It can be terrifying to obey, because He doesn't generally give us easy things.  He gives us the big, scary, uncomfortable, impossible-to-do-on-our-own tasks. I usually take one of two approaches:  I get so excited that I take off running and sprinting to the finish line in a fit of passion or I'm so overwhelmed with the enormity of that task that I'm paralyzed with fear. I take off down the slipper hill, my feet fly out from under me and I end up bruised and battered or I stand with fear at the top of the hill and miss out because I'm afraid to walk.

I need to remember that I don't need to take any running leaps, I don't need to cover all the distance now, and I don't need to know worry about the bottom of the hill. But I do need to take a step forward; just take a teeny shuffling step in faith and keep my focus on HIM to ensure I am on solid footing.