Taking the Next Step

Such a little thing but with great meaning … and Rachel did it!

For more than a week we have been preparing—Lori (Rachel’s school paraprofessional) and me. We’ve been preparing for a presentation Rachel would be giving to her entire class.

The kicker was that in the five years she’s had her communication device, my outgoing, smiley 13-year-old hadn’t ever relented to using it with more than a few people. In fact, a standing joke is that anyone near her when she is pushed to do such a thing should be wearing armor to protect themselves from the backlash. (No kidding! She has been known to have a mean pinch, and if looks could kill …!)

This presentation would be in front of perhaps 20 students!

Since Rachel’s expressive and receptive language skills are significantly delayed, it is hard to know if reasoning with her would do much good. But reason, bribe, and encourage we did.

And she did!

Lori reported that out of the four programmed buttons, Rachel pressed three! Wow—we were hoping for one or two—three was beyond our wildest dreams! And what’s more, she repeated it for us at home!

This may be a small first step for Rach—a baby step even. But it is a step in the right direction. We couldn’t ask for more.

Stepping out in faith.

The Next Step

Moving in the right direction is all any of us can be asked to do. And it’s all God expects of us.

This reminder couldn’t be timelier for me.

God is asking me to step out of my comfort zone and be obedient to His calling. Correction! God has been asking me to be obedient to His calling for years! And I am finally tired of muddling through what I think I should do and am giving up and letting God lead.

But there is fear!

What if I fail? I may not have the right words at the right time! Who am I to do this? Aren’t there so many others better equipped than me? Nobody will want to listen to me!

But just as with Moses, God will provide everything I need to fulfill the mission He sets before me. If I am faithful, He will not let me fail. I just need to be moving in His direction.

Faithfulness is key!

Through His grace, my weaknesses will become His strengths. He will transform my fear, my jumbled up words, my inability to focus into the fulfillment of His plan.

All I need to do is be willing to take the next baby step—just like Rachel!

God will transform our weaknesses into the fulfillment of His plan if we simply take the next step of obedience. Share on X

“My grace is sufficient for you, for [My] power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Reflections: What next step is God asking you to take? What are some of the obstacles you overcame to follow His leading? How was His grace sufficient in your weakness?