WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:05.040 Hi everyone, it's Nancy with your Wednesday edition of our daily walk. 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:09.519 Friends of mine recently spent time in France at a very old home. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:14.160 One of the unique characteristics of the home was the various levels. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:18.640 There were steps up and steps down between rooms throughout the home. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:28.879 So my friends needed to be careful how they moved about, and the steps to the third floor were narrow, steep, and had no railing to give support. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:35.200 Needless to say, the home was unique and also challenging for my friends, but they made it okay. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:41.200 As I've thought about their experience, I saw a correlation with my own life, particularly of recent. 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:47.280 There are times that I can move about easily through the opportunities and the challenges of my life. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:50.880 Things are accomplished as I move about my day comfortably. 00:00:51.119 --> 00:01:01.119 Then there are times when I need to move a bit slower and carefully, because there are steps up and steps down that I need to be mindful of. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:05.599 Nothing major, and I assume I can manage fairly easily. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:13.359 Even with steps to climb, there's been a railing for support and security, so I'm okay as I move along. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:25.920 But there are times when I face a challenge, like the steps my friends face to the third floor, where the climb is steep and there's not a rail to hold on to. 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:31.040 When I face steps like that, my fears urge me to walk away, to give up. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:34.000 Without help, I don't think I can make it. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:45.040 I'm facing one of those challenges right now, and in a way, an inexperienced new dog owner who is big on desire and short on confidence. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:52.719 You see, I haven't had a dog on my own, and I didn't grow up caring for one, so this is new in many respects. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.319 But that's a story for another devotional, perhaps. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:03.680 I've been asking the Lord to confirm that I'm making the right choice for myself and for this little rescue. 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:11.680 And as he is doing so, he's also reminding me of what he's been teaching me in deeper ways the past few years. 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:25.599 What he has shown me is that while some of the steps in my life seem steep and I don't have the railing I've relied on in the past, he has promised to be right beside me each step of the way. 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.240 All he asks is that I ask him to show me if he wants me to climb. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:36.240 And I need to not let my fears or concerns cause me to quickly rush ahead or run away. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.840 I must trust him to guide me as I step. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:42.080 Trust him to be by my side. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:47.120 Trust that if I stumble, he will catch me and not let me fall. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:53.919 And if the way is steep or I'm weary, I need to trust that he will carry me. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:03.280 As I thought about my friend's story of the steps and about what I'm going through in this season of my life, the Lord took me back to a verse he brings to my mind so very often. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:11.199 That's Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, which we've shared before, about trusting in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:16.879 And I also think of Psalm 28, 7, and I want to share that with you this morning. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:21.120 The Lord is my strength and my shield. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:26.080 In him my heart trusts, and I am helped. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:32.400 My heart exalts, and with my song I give thanks to him. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:34.400 Amen.