Two Steps

We often hear 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Life can sure feel that way. We make progress only to find that we have not moved as far as we thought....or we're moving in a different direction...or maybe, we're dancing!

However, when there are issues with walking, two steps can be the difference between getting around easily and having difficulty getting to where you want to go.

Our mom has had a leg brace and her "special" shoe to get around for quite awhile now. She is often in more pain than she lets on. The porch where she enters the house has....2 steps. She has been handling them with the grace that we know and love her for. It might take a little while, but she has made it up and down. There have been days where she needs to wait a bit to get her hip to coordinate with her legs to get her up the steps. There are days where those two steps probably look and feel like 10.

Recently, our dad reached out for help (this is a step in itself!) to help mom. There was a ramp installed that allows a much easier up and down! The ramp goes right up AND OVER the two steps providing a much smoother way in and out of the house.

Sometimes we focus on the two steps and stop. Sometimes we muddle through and do whatever we have to do to get up those steps. Sometimes we have assistance to make moving up the two steps easier. Sometimes we are blessed with people that see the problem, have a way to fix it....and they do.

So, what are your two steps? Are you going to let them stop you? Find someone to help you get up and over? Dance? Your choice. Make it.

Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)
The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;

though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Job 23:11  (NIV)
My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Desires of our Hearts?!!?!?

DESIRE: 1:  to long or hope for :  exhibit or feel desire for <desire success>

2a :  to express a wish for :  request <they desire an immediate answer>

 

If you are looking for the "desires" expressed in late night commercials....(especially lately....jeez!), I apologize in advance. You will be disappointed. If you want some recent thoughts? Read on.

 

I admit that I have thought that the desires talked about in the Bible had to be BIG things. Things that we knew there was no other way to explain them than God bestowed them upon us. I have experienced situations like that....where all the people and places aligned and I have no other explanation. (She lives in our house!)

 

However, especially lately, I have come to realize that sometimes? Our desires can be small and seemingly insignificant to anyone other than us. I still have no other way to explain it. I'm not looking for an explanation just thinking about the need to acknowledge when desires are met....ESPECIALLY when they would matter to no one else but me....or you. 

 

We all have desires - call them what you want: dreams, wishes (sprinkle of fairy dust?) :), wants, needs, etc. Some are long-term, some are immediate, some are really just "well, it would be nice if ______". I have had a couple of the last ones that keep bubbling to the top of my mind so I figured it's time to let them fly out my fingers. I will warn you that these will sound like small things (even in my own opinion), but I bring them up to hopefully get you to thinking of recent (or long ago) things that have just worked out. 

 

#1: Towels. I will mention I like LOVE pink and purple. If my house could be painted those colors and not stand out terribly, I would paint tomorrow. If you have been married for any length of time (or just bought towels a long time ago), you eventually start to notice that your towels start to thin and wear. It really should be time to get some new ones, but money is tight and the old ones still function. They still dry you after the shower, but maybe just a bit more drafty! Hand towels would be nice, but the old ones work even if they no longer match the colors in your bathrooms (from when you moved 13 years ago). Decor has really never been one of my main concerns anyway......

I also LOVE thrift stores. Maybe a bit too much! Even just to look around. You never know what cool item(s), clothes or other oddities may be lurking on the shelves. (My version of hunting!) AND the prices are usually a great deal...and in most cases, I'm supporting a good cause. ;)

On one of my excursions, I find pink AND purple hand towels right next to each other. They look practically new, would look nice in my bathroom AND (did I mention) they're pink and purple! AND cheap! I was not even really looking for (or even thinking of) towels....yet, there they were. A nice little smile for my day.

#2: Perfume. I like Sand and Sable. It has been getting harder and harder to find. I usually look around Christmas time. Then I wait for the after Christmas clearance and IF it's still there, I buy it. This past Christmas, I did not see any "holiday collections" of my favorite scent....and I looked. A lot of places, as in every time I was in a store that would possibly have it, I checked. Nothing. 

My current supply had been dwindling. I'm sure I could and do have other (almost as) favorite brands. Fast forward to early January. We were in a part of town we would not normally be in. We stopped at a store we would not normally have stopped at. I find the Christmas clearance aisle. I look through a few things and spot a few perfumes. I see a tannish looking box. Dare I hope? 1 box. Holiday collection (big and little bottles) Sand and Sable. Half off. :) girl!

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I will mention that I often don't look for stuff for myself. I enjoy finding things that others might not get for themselves (or realize they might want....or not really need....and have probably been re-gifted.... hee hee) and if I get it at a bargain....I am one satisfied customer.

The above 2 examples are something that would not have mattered to anyone else.....but me. I had not mentioned to anyone that I wanted them. They are small items in a big world....but it mattered on those days....to me. 

What would I really want/desire? World peace (of course, beauty pageant answer!)

 

So, after ALL that, the questions I pose to you (and me) are: What do you desire? Have you told anyone? Written it down? Know it if/when you get it? Prayed for it? Would you be OK if it looks different than what you expect? Are you ready to be amazed?

I have not taken the time to ponder lately. I think this is worthy of pondering. If we don't know what we want, how will we know when it shows up? Start dreaming. Start desiring. Watch God show up in BIG ways and those seemingly little ones....that will matter only to you. If we don't look, we won't see.

Psalm 37:3-4 (NIV) Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.