“The steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord…” (Psalm 37:23)
So my guilty
pleasure on Monday nights is the TV show Dancing
with the Stars. I’ve been really
excited that the past couple of seasons have featured devout Christian
personalities. Candace Cameron Bure (Full
House) was on last season and this season, Sadie Robertson (Duck Dynasty) is
featured. To me, dancing (and not just
the dancing on TV) seems so intriguing and beautiful. Every dance seems to tell a story and it’s
fun to imagine what that story might be.
Funny side story: I have had ballroom dancing lessons…and yes, I can
totally hear you laughing right now.
While these lessons may not have been “formal” lessons, dancing lessons
were part of my eighth and ninth grade physical education curriculum. Must not have done much though because I
don’t remember a lick…plus most of those memories are in the “do not retrieve”
section of my memory banks. I’m
definitely not coordinated enough to dance, but I’ll admit…it is fun to watch.
One thing
I’ve noticed while watching people dance is that the next steps are very
important. The next step of any type of
dance depends on the step that came before it.
If the footing is in the wrong place, the next step will be difficult
or possibly even impossible to complete.
Dancers also have to depend greatly on their dancing partner on certain
moves and maybe even lifts that are required as part of the routine and in every dance, one of the dance partners has to take the lead. Through
practice, perseverance, and teamwork, however, dancers can create a beautiful
masterpiece as they follow through each next step of their routine.
So…how does
this apply to us non-dancers? How can we
be sure that our “next steps” won’t result in missteps or even failure? Psalm 37:23 says it simply and clearly, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the
Lord.” God knows the next steps of
our lives. He is ready and waiting to help
us get to where we need to be. The key
for us is to give our steps…all of them…over to Him. That can be hard to do. As humans we want to be in charge and have it
our way, but that’s where we lose our footing and land flat on our face…like
a misstep in dancing.
Life isn’t
about what we want; it’s about God's direction and what He wants. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” We may want to achieve that "next step” ourselves,
but God is the One who will direct us to the next step we need to take. He has to take the lead in this crazy dance
of life. It might be a little scary to
for us to give Him control of it all, but because His ways are perfect (Psalm
18:30), He won’t let us fall flat on our face…He’ll be there every step of the
way. It could be that the next step He
takes us to might not make sense at the time it happens. We need to keep in our hearts that ultimately this
confusing next step is only a small part of an even greater next step that God
has created for us. Through trusting in
Him, staying in His Word, and talking to Him daily, He will direct us in every single step He wants us to take.
