By Dave Brower
First steps are often the shakiest.
I have a two year old daughter and another on the way next month. I can still remember Ellison’s first steps on her own. They were shaky, short, stuttered steps. She only made it two or three steps before she fell down. Her steps were not the most confident, but I believe that those steps were the most faith-filled steps she’s ever taken. Letting go of the table she used to prop herself up and walking into the treacherous wilderness that was the living room required courage and a desire to walk.
As Christians we are on a similar journey. We learn faith from the lives of those around us. We hear their stories of God at work in and around them and we are inspired and excited to journey with God as well. But, when faced with the reality of letting go of whatever we’re holding onto, the life of faith can become daunting.
Abraham (known as Abram at the time) is called by God to “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1) I can imagine Abram’s mental dialogue. “A ‘place you will show me’? How about a ‘place that you will tell me... now.’” He, much like most of us, probably craved a level of certainty in his life. After all, he was 75 years old and still under his father’s protection. Journeying to a ‘yet to be determined’ location might not have been the safest or even the most financially beneficial move on Abram’s part. Yet, we are told, he goes.
Another great story of being sent is Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt. It becomes obvious shortly after they left that Moses hadn’t exactly thought through every step of the journey and they quickly came to a dead end – a dead end the size of a large body of water. With the whole host of Israelites now questioning their decision to leave, Moses puts his trust in God.
The Rabbinic tradition in Judaism has a wonderful way of expounding upon stories to look at deeper truths. There is one story told that as Moses assured the Israelites that they would be protected, the water didn’t budge. Moses would raise his hands and command the seas to part, but they never did. With the Egyptian army closing in and the end literally in sight Moses was out of options. God had abandoned them. Then, one Israelite child begins to walk toward the water. As the child steps in and begins to walk the waters begin to rustle. As the child ventures out into knee deep water the waters rush apart and a pathway is revealed for God’s people to journey on.
We crave certainty. We want to know the way. We want to know every twist and turn. We want to know which exit has the cleanest bathrooms and where we can find a good bite to eat along the way. We aren’t promised this kind of certainty in our faith. What we are promised is that God is at work where we are going. We do not travel alone. God is already there and will be there along the way. We follow the way of Jesus and step out into the unknown with the faith that God has called us into this world to be salt and light. We are sent out to Love God and Serve our City where God is at work. Our first steps aren’t always the most confident, but they often times require the most faith.
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