Moving Forward

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.

The truth is, that’s so much easier said that done. I am not the kind of person who likes to walk forward when I can’t see. Which reminds me of a moment in Israel. I was walking through Hezekiah’s tunnel when everything went dark. Yeah, okay, so I wasn’t exactly in immediate danger and I was with someone I trusted, but still…not exactly a joyful moment to be in an underground tunnel and then suddenly be standing in pitch dark. The person in whom I was traveling through the tunnel with decided that he wanted to see, if necessary,  if he could navigate through the tunnel in utter darkness. It was just an added bonus that a female in distress (that would be me) was behind him and needing to be shown the way. I look back now on it as hilarious and at the time, and I’m pretty sure I found it quite amusing, but today I’m seeing it in some other interesting ways. Although God has no doubt that He can navigate me through what feels like a dark tunnel that I’m in, He’s only proving it to me…not Himself. He’s asking me to trust Him, to follow Him blindly and know that I will come out safe and maybe even laughing. The result of Hezekiah’s tunnel was amusement and plenty of hilarious stories and memories to share and laugh about in the coming days. The result of this tunnel that God is taking me through? I honestly haven’t the slightest idea. I just know that a few months ago,  I was walking through my tunnel of life, comfortable and able to see what was in front of me, and God turned off the flashlight. There’s a part of me that’s freaking out (just as I was when it actually happened in Israel) and yet, there’s a part of me that’s curious as well, just as I was then. There’s still an adventurous thirst in my bones wondering what it will be like walking through here. Maybe I’ll hit my head a few thousand times, maybe I’ll run into a wall a dozen times, or maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll come to the end, see the light, and be singing at the top of my lungs and laughing hysterically. I don’t know where I’m going and in all honesty, that terrifies me. Life is about to change in many ways, but I know the One who walks ahead of me. I know Jesus will not let me be trapped, He will not abandon me and He will guide my steps. It’s scary, but exhilarating all at the same time. I’m intrigued, curious, and interested to see what He has rolled up His sleeve.

So, as for me, I will live by the simple, yet powerful words that the friend who guided me through the tunnel in Israel said as we walked home that afternoon:

“You know, God likes it when we have faith; it means we trust Him. He likes it when we trust Him.”