the first step

There is great power in a single step of determination. Like the old Chinese proverb says, "A trip of a thousand miles begins with a single step". It really is true that every advance we make along our life's journey begins with a single act of determination.

I remember well the first steps my kids have taken. The first time they balanced on two feet- the first nervous jump into the pool, the first time they pedaled out on their bikes. All of these milestones are celebrated mightily, because we parents know the importance of that very first act of determination- it is the most important step.

Forty years ago today Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, immortalized that moment with these words,

"One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

That was one step that none of us who were alive during that time will ever forget. It was a step that seemed to recalibrate the way we saw the world and saw ourselves. From that point on people around the world would say things like "Well, if we can put a man on the moon, surely we can _______".

There is great power in a single step.

But as important as that event was to human history, it pales in comparison to the first step Jesus took toward Jerusalem recorded in Luke 9:51. In this passage the Bible says that Jesus "set His face toward Jerusalem..." He was, in other words, determined to take that first step toward what He knew would be arrest, trial and crucifixion. It was the first step toward the most important event in any of our lives. From that first step came sacrifice, atonement, resurrection and new life. The most important event in all of our lives began with a first step.

It was truly a small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind.

Yes it is true, any of the good that comes into our lives has been the result of the determination of a first step.

All of this to say that the rest of your life is ahead of you- the journey laid out in front of you , whether it be of a thousand miles or a million or just a mile or two from where you are right now, all begins in the determination of the first step.