Step By Step

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Goodbye 2025. Hello 2026! The new year is here and that always brings with it a feeling of a fresh start for me. Last year at our New Year’s Eve Watchnight Service, the Lord gave a word to Dad to share with the congregation admonishing us to take 2025 “one day at a time”. Little did we know at the time how important this phrase would be for us throughout the year.

So, in this new year, I have decided to still take it one day at a time. I know that this is something that I need to continue as I walk through the journey of grief. With each new year, I also have the tendency to get ahead of myself and try to plan everything for the upcoming weeks and months. Although I will be spending some time seeking direction for this year, I will not be trying to plan every step. My goal is to take each moment one step at a time. I may only see just a little bit ahead of me each day, or not much at all, but that is when I need to let go and let God take control.

I have felt the Lord impressing on me today that I need to take this first part of the year to focus on the fruit of the Spirit in my life. Not sure exactly what that will look like yet, but I do know that I need to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in a greater way each day. One of those important areas that I need more of in my life is my life-long friend…patience! I must admit that there have been many times when I have pushed ahead in certain areas, only to end up disappointed. Patience is a virtue, and one that the Lord has been trying to help me get a handle on for many, many years! My life, for the most part, has been a series of waiting games. Waiting on dreams that I had longed for, or thought was best for me. And in many of those times, I did not take advantage of the waiting. Instead of drawing closer to the Lord, I would get impatient and question why things were taking so long. But, Jesus so lovingly and graciously would reach down into my desperation, and draw me back to Himself. On several occasions, when the waiting would take so long and begin to feel painful, He would come through with a suddenly — in a way that only He could.

As I get older, I realize that patience has become my friend in the difficult times in life. I look back throughout circumstances when I was not patient, and all the impatience did was increase my anxiety and set me up for failure. Now I have learned to pray for patience in all things. Patience with expectation goes hand in hand with hope, as shown in Romans 8:25: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” And hope is something that the world desperately needs right now.

I am praying for every door that is ordained of God this year to be opened and every door that is not ordained of Him to be shut. I pray this for you. You may be living in an uncertain time in your life, not knowing which way to turn. Spend time in the presence of the Lord and learn of Him through His Word. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Stay focused on Jesus, and He will lead you step by step.