Trust the Steps

Picture by Brigette Billups Outfit Details: a TAD More Faith

You always want your kids to advance on to the next skill. When they are teeny tiny you want them to roll over. Next you need them to hold up their own head. Then you want them sitting up. Then crawling. And then of course walking. Putting one foot in front of the other. 

Lampley has started taking some steps in the recent weeks. Because she rolled over at 3 weeks and is already climbing on furniture, (something her older sister never did at this age) I kind of assumed that walking would come easy to her once she decided to give it a try.

But she’s been more timid about committing to walking than anything else she does. The girl will climb a whole flight of stairs with ease but will crumble to the ground after taking a couple of steps. When I get her back up to try again, she just stands there, strong and screaming because she does not want to walk. 

As a second time mom, I’m in no rush for her to walk. But as her mom I don’t want her to be scared to try. Especially when it is something I know she will be good at doing. 

The other day I tried to hold her hand to walk outside and she wouldn’t have it. She wouldn’t hold it. Wouldn’t try. Instead just pulled away and crawled off. I was offering her a trusting hand, a guide, a way to let her know she didn’t have to go at it alone and even still she didn’t want to try. And it got me thinking. 

I wonder how many times God has tried to do that with me. 

I can see all that Lampley will be able to do once she starts walking. I know she will no longer get frustrated because it takes her twice as long to crawl with a toy in her hand then it would to walk. But Lampley doesn’t know that yet. She will, at some point, but not right now. 

God can see all that will happen if I just trust Him with the next step. But I can’t. I can’t right now. One day I will, at some point, but not right now. 

Taking the next step, in your career, your mental health, your relationships, your job, your dream - it doesn’t always feel like you are taking a step on sturdy ground. In fact it feels more like stepping on a wobbly rock at the top of a mountain you’re not totally sure how you climbed up in the first place. But that wobbly rock doesn’t feel as shaky underneath as long as you are holding tightly to something else. 

And what’s that something else going to be. Your fear? Or your Faith. 

In this next year, I want to, I need to, get better at grabbing the hand of God instead of the hand of “what if”. Because no matter what step I take, He’s holding my hand. Even if I head in the wrong direction, He’s still there holding my hand and pulling me back towards Him. God knows our steps. He want us to trust Him. He wants to be apart of them. 

So I pray that whatever next step you are taking as this year starts off that you grab His hand as you begin along. And I pray that He provides you with the security to know which steps are the right ones to take. Trust the steps He leads you on. 

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” - Proverbs 16:9

Someone Needed the Rain

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

The other day we were outside with our neighbors when rain started to fall out of no where. The sun was shining, not a dark cloud that we could see, but still a rain shower appeared. It started it out small and we all expected it not to last long. But of course, the rain only came harder, even as the sun kept shining.

The moms kept on talking, trying to hold out as long as possible before surrendering to the rain and going inside. The kids ran from under the playset into the garage and back to the playset screaming at the top of their lungs attempting to stay dry.

At one point Jane Taylor looked at me and said “Hey Mom! Can you just turn off the rain?”

To which I replied, “No girl. Only God can do that.”

I don’t typically wake up hoping for rain. But I am sure there are people out there who do. I heard on a podcast once “Somewhere there is a bride praying for sunshine and a farmer praying for rain.” Because it is true, God sent the rain because someone needed it. Someone’s plants need the rain to grow, a kid wants a reason to wear their new rainboots, a teacher desperately needed an indoor recess to get caught up on some grading, or someone just needs a reason to rest a little more.

It is odd to think that someone would want a rainstorm over sunshine. In life it would be grand if every day, every situation, was presented with sunshine. But that’s not how life works. We have days filled with sunshine so plentiful it almost doesn’t feel real. And we have days filled with a downpour of rain that is so hard you can’t believe it’s real.

But there is joy in the rain. Sometimes you see it in the middle of the storm. Sometimes you can’t find it until the rainbow appears after it’s over. But it is there.

So the next time you wake up and are greeted with a rain shower instead of sunshine just remember, someone out there needed the rain.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” - Psalm 16:11

---

You know what else someone needs…

We are excited to kick off summer! I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to give YOU a chance to win: a $750 Amazon Gift Card just in time to treat yourself!

Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter. You’ll receive one entry per completion. This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada only and runs until 7/6. Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

Void where prohibited. By entering the giveaway you acknowledge that you are agreeing to complete each task, which involves following, liking and subscribing to newsletter's.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Listen

Outfit is old and from Lululemon - Similar Styles linked here:

Leggings: One, Two, Three: Mesh Tee: One, Two, Three - You can also shop the entire look HERE or by just clicking the picture above.

My daughter has a lot to say for her age. I love every single word that comes out of her mouth, even the “no, no, no” that usually follows whatever non-fruit item is placed on her dinner plate. But right now my favorite word that she says is “basketball”. It comes out more like “bask-et-ball”. I probably love it because we are in the middle of basketball season and I am 100% trying to train her brain into loving Duke basketball as much as I do. There is just something about this sport that I am drawn to, even though I am a T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E basketball player. I could watch basketball all day.

It is a good thing I love the game so much. There is a family next door to us who must have received a basketball goal and ball for Christmas, because ever since December 26 I have fallen asleep to the sound of the ball bouncing along the pavement, and continued to hear it throughout the day that follows. Clearly, it was a much desired present. Well done, Santa.

The sounds don’t bother me in the slightest. In a way I find it comforting. It is also interesting to hear the sounds and be able to picture what is happening. The ball bounces a certain speed when it is at the top of the court, slow but constant. As the ball dribbles down the court it gets a little stronger, maybe even a little faster. Pause. And then you either hear a loud, uncomfortable, bang of the ball missing the net. Or you hear nothing. Which could mean two things…airball… or the ever so silent swish of the ball perfectly going through the net. Loud - you missed. Soft - you scored the perfect shot. Isn’t it weird how the sound of a missed shot is louder than the sound of a successful one?

Life is in a way like basketball. When you miss - you know it. The sound of it is loud. The reaction is disappointment. And shaking it off isn’t always easy – you usually scramble to fix the problem rather than settle yourself to find a solution. When you succeed - the sound is simple. Its reassuring. It’s subtle.

In life we are trained to try to hear the BIG sound. We figure that the right way will be the loudest. But, like in basketball, the louder the sound doesn’t always mean the better the situation. When we focus too much on what we are wanting to hear we can miss what God is actually trying to say. His message can be simple and quiet. Not all next steps are spelled out in loud flashy lights. In Luke chapter 8 a woman told herself as long as she could just touch Jesus’s robe she would be healed. The quietest of all acts – a simple brush of her hand against His garment – but it had the loudest affect. She was healed and His power was made known.

As you enter into this new year I encourage you to add one small goal to your list – to listen. To hear Him through all the different areas in your life. And by saying to hear Him I don’t mean to audibly hear Him talking - maybe you hear Him through a book, or a podcast, or your children, or your neighbors, or a song. But just take a second, regain your focus, set your feet and gear up to listen. It’s more beautiful than the sound of the basketball swooshing through the net. Trust me.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” - Luke 8:48