Don't stand still, take a step!

I'm not really sure where to start, but I guess that is usually the hardest part at times.

Just taking a step and getting going at times can be a daunting task.

Are we sure we have what it takes to begin? What will we be met with along the way? Can we finish what we've started?

I've come to realize it isn't really important to have all the answers. We rarely, if ever, start out with all the answers.

If we start with all of the answers it isn't a challenge, and we typically flounder without some form of challenge in our life. Comfort breeds complacency and complacency turns stale.

I write all of this, not because I have some grand theme to lay before you, but simply to state that this is a step I am taking to make a move. I am making a move to let my voice be heard.

I am no different than you. I work, eat, drink, sleep, rinse and repeat. There are ups and downs in all of it. Some of the details may vary some, but overall we are the same race - the human race.

We were all created in the image of God. We were all given unique and amazing skills and talents. What sets some apart from others are those that find the courage to embrace who they were created to be.

This blog, and Steemit are part of my opportunity to embrace who I am.

I have lived a long life believing that I was just an onlooker. That I was meant to watch other people live out their dreams. It has taken me a long time to realize that is a lie. This is not to say that I don't want to see other people live out their dreams, because that would be in stark opposition to what part of my dream is - to help others realize their full potential. The lie that I speak of is that the living out of dreams is only for other people. The truth is that it is for each and everyone of us.

Truth be told, I am struggling with work right now. I am saving and investing as much as I can in what I consider to be solid and wise investments. I am also seeking to be a creator. To produce a good and/or service. To provide something of value and worth for others.

As I face the difficulties with my current work situation and the challenges it faces, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle James, who was Jesus' brother (technically half brother). James leads off his epistle to the newly formed church like this... "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance character, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2-4)

Life is what we make of it, or put another way... "As a man thinketh, so is he"

When we face hard times will we push the blame along the line? After all that is just what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8-13 details the blame game. When God asked what was going on and why they were hiding and how they knew they were now naked, Adam responded "The woman You gave to be with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree" [the one He said don't eat]. That is Adam passing the blame on to Eve. Then Eve said to God, "It was the serpent". Neither of them took responsibility for their own actions, and we continue to do the same thing today.

My goal today, the step I want to take right now, is to continue to take responsibility for my actions, to own up to the decisions that I have made - good and bad alike.

It is our willingness to accept the poor decisions we make that give us the opportunity for the most growth. It is the rain along with the sunshine that causes the garden to grow. It is the manure and fertilizer that is piled into the garden that gives the plants the nutrients needed to thrive, blossom and fruit. We are the same!

There is a plan and a purpose to your life. You have a say in where it goes. Join me in taking a step in the right direction. Taking a step to regain the beauty and uniqueness of your life. Be who God created you to be. Pay attention to the tension in your life, what is it that frustrates you, what is it that makes you uncomfortable? Confront those things and dig deep into them. Consider it pure joy, because it is life's struggles and hardships that shape us the most - choose to let them shape you in a way that makes you mature and complete.

Thank you for reading this, and I will be stepping out in faith more and more to share my story, and how God has worked in my life and is still working in my life. I'd love to hear from you and talk about any issues or struggles you may be facing. God has led me here and given me a voice for a specific reason, and that very reason may just be you. Don't ignore that small nudge you just got. Don't stand still, take a step!