"One Step at a Time"

You and I were created to be in a relationship with the Father through faith in His Son--to walk and talk with Him.  As we begin this journey with Him, Jesus says to each of us-- "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  We are to follow and HE does the rest--He causes us to become the men and women that He wants us to be--we can't make it happen--it is completely by His grace.  We are to simply follow, but how do we do that?  I believe it is to be "one step at a time."  It is an amazing journey He takes us on when His Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.  His Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in us and one of the attributes of His Spirit is to be our guide---to lead us every day.  Sometimes this takes us to places we had never imagined ourselves going and doing things we never thought we would be doing--like having a blog!!  Two years ago, I knew nothing about prison and did not know anyone in prison.  I really wasn't interested in it either, but the Lord had other plans.  I had no idea about all the men and women who are incarcerated in six different prisons that would cross my path.  I just took the next step, and the Lord did the rest.  Recently, one step took me to speak to some women at a local church about prison ministry.  After talking to the women, a young woman came up to me and asked how difficult it was to write to someone in prison.  She said her cousin was in prison and she thought her family needed to reach out to her cousin.  I told her all you needed was the TDCJ number assigned to her cousin and the name and address of the prison.  I came home and googled her name and it told that she was at Mountainview and gave her TDCJ number.  I forwarded the information onto this young woman.  I do not know if she has contacted her cousin or not, but as I began to think about the young woman in prison, the Holy Spirit began to lead me to take the next step and send her a copy of the book "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo.  It is the story of a 4 year-old little boy whose appendix ruptured and he went to heaven.  Then he began to tell his parents about what he saw and what Jesus told him.  It is an amazing book--a must read--- if you have not read it.  Since individuals cannot send books to those in prison, I sent it from my church to her.  Only churches and bookstores are allowed to send books.  Anyone can send letters or cards to individuals who are incarcerated.  I received a thank you note this week saying how much she appreciated the book and that it came at a time when she was going through a hard, stormy time.  Another amazing thing is that I go to Mountainview women's prison twice a month---once for a Kairos prison ministry second Saturday meeting and then another time for a Women's Aglow meeting.  I might even get to meet this young woman if our paths cross in the future!!  Yesterday, I sent her a daily devotional--"Streams in the Desert" that I read each day because I knew that was the next step to take for this person I do not even know.
Every day there are people that our God wants to bless and people that He will bring across our paths.  As we commit the day into His hands, ask for His grace and His presence, and depend on Him to show us the next step to take, He will do the rest.  What is the next step that He is leading you to take today?  Sometimes, we can be so concerned about what we are going to do tomorrow or looking to something in the future that we miss out on what is right in front of us---our next step.  He will lead and guide you where He wants you to go, and I believe He will do it as we take "one step at a time."
Blessings!!!
Carolyn