I think I’ve found my verse for 2019. Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This short sentence is packed full of symbolism. Paths symbolize the journey of life. Light symbolizes guidance. Feet symbolize stability and freedom. The implied darkness symbolizes mystery and fear. It all works together to tell a story.

So here’s the problem: I’m walking in the dark. I’m heading down some path, but it’s completely dark, and I can’t see where I’m going. I’m trying to move forward, but I can’t see where to go. I can’t see the end of the pathway. I want a great spotlight to show me everything, but I can’t see anything except what the flashlight I’m holding will illuminate.

It’s really frustrating because I want to see where I’m going. I can’t, though. All I can see is the next step in front of me. It’s also frightening because I can’t see what’s ahead. Did I make a wrong turn earlier? Am I really on the right path? Am I sure this direction is the right way?

I hesitate. Do I keep moving foward? What if I just go back to where I was a few steps earlier? Maybe I made a wrong decision there. Maybe I just give up and sit here, not going anywhere.

I’m not the only one like that. Most of us are like that. We’re walking blindly in the dark with little to help us see. We get scared. We doubt. We worry. We look back where we came from. We play the “What if?” game.

We can’t do that. We have to continue moving forward. One step in front of the other. Once we take that next step, the following step with be revealed. That’s how it works. We can only see one step ahead. It’s not a chess match, where we can see multiple steps ahead of time. Life isn’t as predictable as a chess board. We may speculate, but we ultimately don’t know which way the path will turn. We don’t know where the path will split and the different decisions we’ll have to make along the way. All we can do is take the next step.