As I was logging my daily three miles this morning I was thinking about my poor walking shoes that are just about worn out. It’s no wonder. According to the app I use to track my mileage, I’ve put about 400 miles on this pair of shoes (that’s them pictured). That’s a lot, and it’s high time I get another pair.
I’ve got them all worn in though, and I don’t like breaking in a new pair. They look mostly OK if I’m looking down at the tops of them. If you saw me walking in them, they would look just fine. However, if you flipped them over and looked at the bottoms, you’d see they’re about to wear away. If you looked inside them, you’d see that I’ve worn holes in them.
One step at a time, I’ve walked 400 miles in them. I thought about that for a bit and then my mind drifted back to some of the various conversations I’ve had with people in the last few days. It occurred to me that there was a theme in these chats. I keep telling others that I’m putting one foot in front of the other.
It’s my way of saying that I just keep on going. I’m still dealing with the grief of losing my Dad in late May. Maybe more than dealing with grief, I’m still working my way through closing the estate. It’s a long, tiring, emotional journey. The best way I know how to describe it is just putting one foot in front of the other. I just keep doing the next thing.
I feel a little like my walking shoes right now. I’m worn down from the marathon nature of walking this grief-ridden gauntlet. Most of the time I’m perfectly fine and functional. Some days, I suspect when multiple people are praying for me, I do really well. Then other days I feel like pieces of me have worn off on the road. I find myself praying that there’s enough of me left to get finished with this season.
I’m kind of in a season of “Give us this day our daily bread.” I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I know God is taking care of me today. I trust He will tomorrow. I know that I just have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other every day. I hope that the people I’ve made that comment too and those of you reading this can find it helpful today, too. Let’s just do the next right thing.
You know what happens, as I told one of my dear friends recently, you can go a long way by putting one foot in front of the other. As a bonus, I think maybe we get worn in just right during the process. I’m a little more empathetic and sympathetic to others. I think I’m probably stronger today than I was six months ago, but maybe don’t put me to the test just yet. I’m a lot more receptive to God, and I hope much closer to being the person He wants me to be. It’s funny how life’s battles can do that to you.
Friends if you’re tired and struggling today, I get it. Me too. Come on. We’re going to come out better than we went in. We’re going to make it through, one step at a time.
