Anxious, depleted, and overwhelmed, I decided to take a break in December. Lord, do I need to discontinue this blog? What direction do You want me to take?
As I spiraled downward with indecision, God finally answered my prayers. Not with a definitive “yes” or “no,” but with a gentle guidance as He whispered, “My child, just take one step at a time. Live more in the moment. Don’t obsess over what the moments or steps thereafter will be.” And peace spilled into my heart as He assured me He will light my way one step at a time. As He encouraged me to trust Him more to lead me. As He reminded me to “be” rather than always thinking I need to “do.”
It can be hard to keep grasping His proffered hand and to trust Him no matter what, can’t it? Even when we can’t feel His presence while our lives fall apart, our longings and prayers are unmet, and the future is unknown and scary-looking.
I need to trust that God is faithful. To trust His heart when I don’t understand where His hand is leading. When He says He is holding my hand, He is. He never goes back on His Word. When we stray and take our own way, He will redeem us and lead us to the right path. When we fall, He will lift us up again to take the next step.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 NLT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
“For Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps His promises;
He is gracious in all He does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to You in hope;
You give them their food as they need it.”
Psalm 145:13-15 NLT
“God won’t light your second step
until you have taken the first one.”
Woodrow Kroll
“As we trust God to give us
wisdom for today’s decisions,
He will lead us a step at a time
into what He wants us to be
doing in the future.”
Theodore Epp
“I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow
may be necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain.”
John Henry Newman
Trust His Heart
by Babbie Mason
“All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don’t see
How they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what’s best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don’t see Him,
Remember you’re never alone
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His Heart
Trust His Heart…”
May God help us to take
one step at a time in 2020
and trust Him to lead us!
Freed to Fly 
I am so sorry you have been walking through overwhelm, anxiety and depletion, Trudy. I am so thankful God hears our cries, takes hold of our hand and lifts us up. He is so faithful. He has been to me, again and again.
Your words so encourage me today too. This morning, I was reading about treasuring and seeking wisdom from God and also about our eyes filling our bodies with light, when they are clear. I read how clear also means “unfolded” and there being no duplicity and how light “describes the revelation”. And I saw how God’s Word unfolds us to reveal Himself in and through us.
It reminded me of this article, which I wept reading (it spoke such compassion):
The Fourth Trauma Response We Don’t Talk About
God has been slowing me down also and I see Him, also through my husband’s questions, unfolding me to reveal the true desires of my heart (His desires in me) that have remained hidden beneath “people-pleasing” that has been fed by fear and pride, not by security and love.
May God’s Word continue to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path and may He continue to fill our bodies with light as He gives us the clarity of His vision.
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I’m so grateful you were encouraged here, Anna. Thank you for your compassion and understanding, your reflections, the article, and your prayer! Amen! That article was really good. According to the description and the behaviors listed, it’s definitely one of my responses, especially being a people-pleaser, avoiding conflict, and being unable to say how I really think or feel. May God help us both to heal from people-pleasing and to be authentic and reveal the true desires He has given us in our hearts!
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Amen! Thankful for you. You bless me.
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You bless me, too, Anna. 🙂
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Dear Trudy,
Once again, the Lord has brought such peace through your sharing. As I was reading through your post, and the Scriptures that you offered, I kept hearing in my head the very song that you linked at the end. OH! Our Lord is full of such gracious gifts to us, given just when we need them. I am so thankful that you are sharing here again, just one step at a time. It is all He asks of us, isn’t it? Blessings, love, and hugs to you dear friend. xoxo
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It’s amazing how God gives such gracious gifts to us, Bettie. He know our hearts and needs so well, doesn’t He? I’m so glad He brings you peace. Your posts and comments really are His gifts to me. Blessings, love, and hugs to you, too! May we learn to ever deeper trust God’s heart, even when we don’t understand His plan!
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Trudy, I have two words for 2020: Trust and Submit. Yes, they come from Proverbs 3:5-6 which you penned here. We can trust God to lead us forward, even if it is one step at a time. Sometimes, that is all we are able to do, and that is okay. When we surrender to His will in all things, we can be certain that He will guide us.
So glad you are back from your break! You’ve been missed!
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I love the words you plan to focus on this year, Martha. Trust and submit go hand in hand, don’t they? Thank you for your welcome back. 🙂 May we surrender to His will in all things and trust He will guide us!
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Welcome back, friend! Yes, write when you want, what you want, at His prompt. Thankfully there are no blog police … and when all is said and done we do what we do for an audience of one. What peace in that realization.
The pressure is off.
Grace.
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Thank you, Linda! You’re always so good at reminding me to give myself grace. Yes, “write when you want, what you want, at His prompt.” My plan is to take the pressure off myself. 🙂 May we continue to write at His prompt and for His audience!
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It’s lovely to see you back here again, Trudy! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year! I agree, it can be hard to trust when we can’t see the way ahead. There are lots of times when I would like to see the whole path ahead so I often need this reminder to trust God to reveal one step at a time, knowing that he sees the way ahead even when I don’t.
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Thank you, Lesley. I would like to see the whole path ahead, too. It can be so hard to blindly take the next step. May we trust His faithful heart and hand to lead us step by step!
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I’m happy to see you back in this space, Trudy! Your words are true for so many things in life: just one step at a time. I want to see the whole picture at the onset, but God often just wants me to see one piece and to trust him with the rest. You’re a beautiful example of doing this!
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Thank you, Lisa. 🙂 I want to see the whole picture, too! Trusting Him one step at a time is a difficult lesson, isn’t it? If you could see inside my heart, I worry and fret far too much and don’t feel much of an example. But thank you for your kind words. 🙂 May we be fully content with only seeing one piece at a time!
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Yes, one step at a time! I think we are kindred spirits in that way, Trudy. My tag line is “a gal doing life a step at a time.” 🙂 May you continue to look to God first, fill yourself with His presence and grace. I know I am late posting this week, and looks like next week will start my post for 2020. May we both let go of the pressure and write knowing God’s got His plan — we just need to keep our focus in the right place!
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I love being kindred spirits with you, Lynn, taking one step at a time. 🙂 Yes, God first, filling ourselves with His presence and grace. And “Amen!” to both of us letting go of the pressure and write knowing God’s got His plan! Did you recently change your heading? I can’t remember it being there with your last post. I like it! May we keep encouraging each other in this year let go of the pressure and take one step at a time! I’m looking forward to your post next week. 🙂 I hope your arm is healing well! I can’t remember how long it has been. My grandson broke his arm, too, last year and yesterday he called me saying he was finally released by the doctor to play basketball again. He was so excited! I hope by now you can do more again, too. 🙂
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Thank you, Trudy! I needed to “hear” this today! ❤ ❤
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I’m glad it came at a good time for you, Lynn. I love reading your posts and seeing your creative prints whenever it works for you. 🙂 Just know that they refresh my heart. 🙂 May God help us to take off the pressure we put on ourselves and just hold His hand and take one step at a time!
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Oh, Trudy, I’m so sorry for how unsettled you’ve been. Not a pleasant place to be in. It’s a feeling I can relate to, and one that trips us up with its accompanying anxiety and fear. Being “anxious, depleted and overwhelmed” was my default state for months, and it’s something that easily returns if fatigue and pain are worse. Yet hard as it is, through it all we learn how to trust God’s heart and His plans for us. Our faith gets strengthened in the process.
I love the inspiring quotes and bible verses you have shared. Isaiah 41: 10 is a particular favourite as it’s one I turn to whenever I am discouraged or fearful. It helps to remember just Who is holding us and how very faithful He is. It’s lovely to see you writing here again! I’m glad you have returned. Your words are always helpful and encouraging. So it’s one step at a time for both of us as we emerge from our breaks! Holding God’s hand and looking to Him for equipping and strength. Blessings, love and hugs. xo 🙂 ❤
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Yes, sometimes we don’t see it at the time that God is strengthening us through that wilderness, but He is, right? I love that last post and poem of yours, Joy. Isaiah 41:10 has often been used by God to comfort me, too. Yes, it so helps us to know Who is holding us and how very faithful He is! Thank you for your kind words and prayers! Blessings, love, and hugs to you, too! Today I needed to copy some papers and my printer is printing blank pages. I tried every solution possible but to no avail. I felt the anxiety rising as my plans to start on next week’s post is delayed while trying to figure this out. But God reminded me again to take one step at a time. If I don’t get a post written for next week, it’s ok. 🙂 May we keep reminding each other to take one step at a time while holding God’s hand and leaning into Him for wisdom and strength!
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Oh that’s a nuisance, Trudy! Hope it gets sorted out soon. But the timely reminder from God soon set your mind back on the right path. And it’s really good life advice to take one step at a time! Besides, God only gives us light enough to see one step ahead, then another and so on. How we need His guidance, wisdom and strength to help us each day! xo 😉💜
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Thank you, Joy. We’re going to have to get a new one. 😦 But yes, a timely reminder from God set me on track again. 🙂 I’m sure glad He’s so patient with us! “How we need His guidance, wisdom and strength to help us each day!” Amen! Love back to you!
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I just love the peace that comes when we hear from the Lord and then trust those words….even when we don’t see the “big picture” or know the whole path, when we will trust Him “one step at a time” there is a peace that is priceless. Thanks for sharing – and glad that you are willing to blog as long as He leads!
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Oh yes, Jennifer. And I love how patient He is with us when we slip from trusting and fret when we don’t see the big picture. He gently leads us back and gives us peace in it again. May we keep focusing on Him and trusting His plan, taking one step at a time!
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Awww, Trudy. You were speaking truths I’ve been hearing and reminding myself of too. Be more than Do. Trust the Lord when I cannot see and don’t understand. Be reassured that God will pick me up, that He’s always there with me, even when I mess up. And that He will lead, one step at a time. Every single time I read your words, I am encouraged, my friend. Thank you for pouring out in this sweet space.
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Thank you for your kind encouragement, Jeanne. Also for the beautiful thoughts you wrote. Truths I need to remind myself of so often. I love your word of the year – present. So important. I find that I too easily wonder and fear the future that I miss the present moments to treasure. May we remind each other to be present in the moment and to “be” more than “do!”
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It’s so good to read these words this morning, Trudy. I’m glad our heavenly Father understands how frail and finite we are, how we long for clarity and direction but also want to trust Him. I’m with you, my friend … one step at a time, one word at a time, one day at a time. Keep writing as the Spirit leads …
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Thank you, Lois. Amen to this – “I’m glad our heavenly Father understands how frail and finite we are, how we long for clarity and direction but also want to trust Him.” I’m so glad He’s so patient with us and His love is so unconditional! As I read your comment, some profound truths you relay in your book come to mind. I hope someday to write a post about it, but I’m trying to take one step at a time, so I’m not making promises on when. 🙂 May God help us to take “one step at a time, one word at a time, one day at a time!”
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I could feel the anxiousness of your heart as you stepped back and asked God your questions. What a blessing that He answered you with His peace. God knows what we need when we need it. He is such a good Father. The idea of taking one step at a time is a wonderful way to live especially when you are taking those steps with God.
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Yes, it’s amazing how good He is to us, Mary. He has perfect timing even when we wait with anxiety sometimes, right? May we take one step at a time with Him holding our hand and being our Guide!
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[…] work, I want to free up some of my time. I hope to be back on either the 13th or 20th of October. One step at a time, right? […]
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