Process of Performance

1 Samuel 2:9
He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness;

 for by his own strength shall no man prevail.

a humorous look at 'anything is possible if we take baby steps'!!😁

Wherever in the calms or qualms of love and life, my dear

That we may find ourselves one thing remains perfectly clear

That where we are is not the measure of one giant leap

But the effect of step by step appointments that we keep

Our feet follow the fearless fellow simply known as Thought

Good and evil compete where what seems hidden soon is not

Then we should take a closer look at hopes and dreams we prize

The mind can be a crook and tries to trick the heart sometimes

How simple seems the left foot right foot choreography

A virile composition of Great Possibility

Where all that is accomplished, great or small for good or ill

Through step by step repetition makes all things possible

Then the conclusion of the matter when faith feels inept

Is but to trust enough to muster courage step by step

For we are always in the midst of the next tallied sum

Where step by step waits to surprise us at how far we’ve come

© Janet Martin

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional touched on a topic I've been contemplating recently...
the outcome of step-by-step

Scripture Reading; 2 Samuel 12:1-14

In northern Thailand, the Wild Boars youth soccer team decided to explore a cave together. After an hour they turned to go back and found that the entrance to the cave was flooded. Rising water pushed them deeper into the cave, day after day, until they were finally trapped more than two miles (four kilometers) inside. When they were heroically rescued two weeks later, many wondered how they had become so hopelessly trapped. Answer: one step at a time.

In Israel, Nathan confronted David for killing his loyal soldier, Uriah. How did the man “after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) become guilty of murder? One step at a time. David didn’t go from zero to murder in one afternoon. He warmed up to it, over time, as one bad decision bled into others. It started with a second glance that turned into a lustful stare. He abused his kingly power by sending for Bathsheba, then tried to cover up her pregnancy by calling her husband home from the front. When Uriah refused to visit his wife while his comrades were at war, David decided he would have to die.

We may not be guilty of murder or trapped in a cave of our own making, but we’re either moving toward Jesus or toward trouble. Big problems don’t develop overnight. They break upon us gradually, one step at a time.

By Mike Wittmer