Take Another Step- Steven Curtis Chapman

"Take another step, take another step When the road ahead is dark And you don't know where to go Take another step, take another step Trust God and take another step"

Whenever I have faced hard times in my life, God has had a way in ministering to my spirit and showing me the next step in my life's journey. Sometimes the step have been simple, every day things, like helping around the house. But other steps have been big, like going across the world and ministering to God's people.

The years following graduation from college were very dark for me. I was rejected from two grad schools and decided to go and find a job. This was in the time of the recession of 2009, so it was hard to find a decent job. I eventually found a part-time job, but the hours weren't that great. Then a opportunity to go to Kenya with my church opened in front of me. I was happy about the opportunity to serve God overseas again ( previously had been to Mexico and Brazil).

However, during the middle of the trip to Kenya, I lost my passport. I could of stayed in Amsterdam another few days to get a new passport, but didn't want to keep my leader away from leading the team. I was sad and distraught, and cried more than I did when my grandmother died.

I was left wondering, "What is the next step for me?" I talked to Mountain's mission pastor and he told me that a staff member of Mountain had recently came back from a internship in Kenya with Christian Missionary Fellowship International. This sounded like an intriguing possibility so I prayed for a few days about it. I didn't need long to pray, as one morning, in tossing and turning in bed, I had peace from God to go to Kenya.

Kenya was one of the most rewarding and challenging times in my life. It stretched me in ways I could never have imagined. I thought I was a flexible person before my time there, but I was far from it I discovered. I was a person full of faith in God, but had selfish tendencies. I often wanted my agenda ahead of God's agenda. Sometimes God just wanted me to enjoy life to the full with my team-mates, when I just wanted my routine.

However, God still used me for his glory as I preached sermons, led lessons on health, and went on numerous home visits in the slums of Mathare Valley in Kenya. God used this boy from Maryland to advance his kingdom in ways I never expected.

I have had many more steps of faith since that six-month internship in Kenya. Sometimes that has involved mission trips. Other times it involved being "real with people" and getting to make new friends. It is in these steps I have discovered that faith is exactly what Oswald Chambers said in My Utmost for His Highest:

"When you don't know what to do, trust God and do the next thing. Take the next obvious step in front of you and trust God to lead you".

Friends, I don't know what the next step in the dark is for you. It may involve something small, like helping a friend shovel snow. Or something big like going on a trip with a missions organization.

Regardless of what it is, I urge you to be still and listen to the voice of God. But once you hear his voice, take the next obvious step of obedience in the right direction. Love Him. Serve his people here and around the world.

I assure you, you wouldn't regret it as it may just change the trajectory of your life in more ways than one.