Inch by Inch

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Jos. 1:9

In praying the stations of the cross, nestled under the oak and pine, my eyes spied him. His tiny frame stretching almost impossibly to reach the next ledge. Then, instantly curling back into itself as if to gain momentum, it took its next step. There was nothing between but air, and each time it was a gigantic move for one so small. In awe of this tiny creature’s endeavors, I recalled a morning spent with my oldest after a late summer’s rain.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. Psalm 37:23

“Where did he come from..where is his family?”, my son, then 5, had asked. And where is he going? Wherever that is it will probably take him awhile”, he added. And there we sat watching the miraculous gains and effort expended in mere seconds. Never knowing if the inchworm was indeed trying to get back to where he had been or to somewhere new.

Now, years later, it occurs to me that this is much like our spiritual journeys- a series of falls and growth with the opportunity for new beginnings. While we may never get back to where we were, for God’s plan may challenge us to move forward along a different course. Inwardly, we curl back inside seeking the comfort of God within to gain the strength for the path ahead. Stretching us too, in ways that we could never imagine to reach for the Christ beyond ourselves.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John:14

In Him and in those he places along the way, we find the support and respite we need. Until that is, it is time once again to stretch, move and grow. Yet, after we find that place of comfort many of us are reluctant to leave. We may refuse to take that leap or bend to the extraordinary surprises that God has in store. Much like the inchworm, however, we were never meant to stay in one place, and lest we forget God promises direction, protection, and all the tools needed for the journey.