“But Lord my problems are way, way too big for me to handle. I just can’t do it.”

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. Many times.

But I still got up every morning and tried. Sometimes it was all I could to to get my head off the pillow, sit up, and put one foot on the floor in front of the other.

Sometimes it felt like my feet were stuck in molasses, and just the act of pulling one out of that sticky mess in order to put it down a few inches ahead took more effort than I thought it was worth.

But every day is a step towards your goal. It may be a tiny step, and you may not even begin to see where that step takes you, but it’s a step forward.

Each day you take another one, and another.

The trick is not to take one backwards. Which can be very tempting, especially when you don’t see those steps taking you anywhere.

Think about what happens when a child starts walking. They try, very tentatively at first, holding on to something, and try to put that little foot in front of the other. It’s only a half step, but they try. And usually fall.

But they keep trying. Half steps. Tiny little steps. Not getting very far at first. But they keep trying. Because they don’t ever think they can’t do it. They just keep trying because instinctively they know it’s how to get ahead and make their lives better!

They keep trying, a few steps at a time. And when they fall, they get back up and keep on trying. They have no preconceived idea that they can’t do it.

And one day all their hard work pays off as they stand up, take those steps, and not only walk, but run!

They never look back. They don’t go back to crawling again instead of walking or running. Because they know the best way to get where they’re going is putting one foot in front of the other and plunging ahead.

So what about us? Why is it so hard for us to sometimes put that one foot in front of the other? So hard to start moving ahead to where we’re going? Or where we want to go.

Like the toddler starting out walking for the first time, we fall down. But sometimes instead of getting back up we decide to just stay where we fall. Because it’s easier than putting forth the effort it takes to get moving again.

We say we want to, but it’s just so much effort. It’s easier to stay stuck in that molasses and go no further. And watch everyone else move on; move ahead with their lives.

It’s easy to think that, “They don’t know all the struggles I’ve had. How hard it’s been. How difficult life has been these past few weeks/months/years. They haven’t had to go through all that….”

Really? Ah, but how do you know? You just didn’t see their struggles, their battles to put one foot in front of the other and start moving ahead again. You didn’t see them falling down time after time and fighting to get back up and keep on going.

You see, we all have our struggles. From time to time we’ve all gone though those individual battles, and some of us probably will again.

But we all come through it the same way. By getting up each morning and putting that one foot in front of the other, and forging ahead. It may not be a quick journey, but as long as we keep moving forward, nothing can stop us.

Nothing can stop you. Tomorrow morning, get up. Put your feet on the floor and put one foot in front of the other. And keep walking.

The journey of a thousand miles always starts with a single step.

Where is your journey going to take you?