Not Perfection, Just the Next Step

**You can listen to this post on my podcast here.

Lord, as I sit here at the beginning of a new day,
there is so much to be done.
And spiritually and emotionally I have such a long road of growth ahead of me. 

Thus our conversation begins, Lord.

I can’t be perfect, Lord. 

(God probably just smiles.
We’ve had this conversation before.)

Lord, You know the sanctification process takes time. 

You don’t expect me to be perfect. 

You expect me to love you everyday.
To seek you everyday.
To move forward in some way everyday. 

You just expect the next step. 

The next step in my Bible reading.
The next step of submission.
The next step of praying when you prompt me.
The next step of growth.
The next step in trust.
The next step in healing. 

Lord, you only require of me the next step. 

Just like you give us your mercy and lovingkindness
broken down into daily allotments.

“Cause me to hear thy
lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust…”
Psalms‬ ‭143:8‬a

“It is of the Lord’s mercies
that we are not consumed…
they are new every morning…”
Lamentations‬ ‭3:22a-23‬a

Just like You break down your grace
in allotments according to our need. 

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;
that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may abound to every good work…”
2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:8‬

But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ.
Ephesians 4: 7

You take steps in providing for us.
You take steps in answering our prayers.
You purposefully follow your perfect plan,
which is almost never executed all at once, but rather in steps. 

You take our entire lifetime to unfold the steps You’ve laid for us. 

Moses, Joseph, David even Paul
are examples of lives unfolding over many years, even 40 years,
as You step-by-step unfolded Your purpose for their lives. 

All that these men could do was take the next step.
They could never have guessed Your vision for them.
They could never have guessed the path they would be taking to
get them to where You wanted them to be. 

Step-by-step You led Moses, a murderer, running from You and Egypt,
to being one of our most beloved leaders in the Bible,
as well as Your Friend and most humble servant. 

Joseph, a victim of parents choosing favorites, despised by his brethren.
Lord, step-by-step You led him through abandonment twice, prison and injustice to then exalt him,
use him to save the world, and mend his broken family. 

David.
Lord, you showed him his destiny of king at a tender age, then step-by step You led him
through turmoil as he ran for his life for years from Saul. You brought him through deep sin,
to then show us the most beautiful model of what love and devotion to You looks like. 

Paul, who, living well into his adult years with zeal and passion that was
against the Savior, You led step-by-step to turn his life in a completely new direction,
and then further used him to turn the world upside for You, Lord. 

None of these men could have known their path.
None of these men fully knew Your purpose for them. 

All they knew was to take the next step. 

That is all You desired from them.  

The next step in response to Your whisper.  

Even if You reveal to us Your master plan,
it can only be achieved one step at a time. 

Lord, help us seek Your wisdom and leading for the next step. 

Order my steps in thy word:
and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psalms‬ ‭119:133‬ ‭

‬Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Psalms‬ ‭143:8‬b

Help us to let go of perfection and expect of ourselves only what You expect of us. 

Lord, thank you again for not expecting perfection.
Lord, thank you again, that we don’t have to have everything figured out at once.
Lord, thank you that each morning you give us the mercy and lovingkindness we need for that day.
Thank you that your allotment of grace is sufficient based on our need. 

Please help us hear Your whisper. 

Just like Samuel hearing You call him,
may we hear your voice as it guides us into the next step. 

 “…if he call thee, that thou shalt say,
Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”
1 Samuel‬ ‭3:9b

One step is all you ask.
Then the next.
Until we can say we have finished our course…

I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith…
2 Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭

And then, beloved Heavenly Father, we will be at the finish line as You greet us.
Finally, we will hear the words we long to hear you say as You welcome us home, 

Well done, good and faithful servant…
Matthew‬ ‭25:23‬a

Just one step of responding to Your call.

Then the next.

And then the next.

All the rest of our days.

The law of his God is in his heart;
none of his steps shall slide.
Psalms‬ ‭37:31‬

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in his way.
Psalms‬ ‭37:23‬

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people…
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered
out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Luke 1:68, 74,75