Counting Steps

 

 Some people count calories. Recently, I started paying attention to my steps. Today, I decided to limit them to keep my left foot from swelling to Mickey Mouse proportions. That’s not easy when I keep remembering I need things on the other side of the Calvary Baptist Church building where I work. I must admit I enjoy the confused looks when I swing by on crutches after walking unaided into the building this morning.
     I have neuropathy in my left foot that started after I tore a disk in my back on March 6th. Since then I haven't been “stepping” very well. On days where I feel some spunk and little pain I tend to step too much and pay for it the next day or so. I’m feeling spunky today, but I did last Wednesday, too. That night I was a mess.
     So, here I am with my foot up in my office thinking about my next steps and a verse crossed my mind that should flutter in more often. I memorized it in the KJV years ago, but the NIV turned my head this morning. Psalm 37:23 says, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;” I believe that states it more clearly than any version I’ve previously read.
     I want to step with confidence again, physically. But, even more, I want to step confidently in life and I figure the LORD might have a decent idea how and where I should set my feet.  The key, it seems, is to delight in him. Confusing? I think so...at first glance. But, it makes sense when we consider what delighting in someone actually looks like. We pay more attention to those we delight in. We delight in people that do things in ways that stir up admiration. If I delight in spending time with my grandfather I’m bound to want to sharpen a knife the way he does; his can split hairs. You'll see his influence in the way I live.
     Reading the gospels is the most practical way to learn the art of firm steppin’. Jesus was the perfect representation of God in human form. Let me give one example just to spark your fire. In the gospels, I see that Jesus would step away from distractions to pray, sometimes even hiking up mountains (Mark 1:38). If he had an iPhone he would probably have swiped on “do not disturb.”
     Do you know how Jesus handled the death of a loved one? How about the way he treated outcasts? Did he overlook sin or did he call people out? What were his feelings about taxes, the poor, and priorities? The answers to these questions, and more, are the firmest places I can plant my feet.


KJV = King James Version
NIV = New International Version