Brett and I stood in the chilly fall air staring at the 6×8 plastic fold up green house lying between us.  We had both seen the 2×2 plastic bag it was supposed to fold up into, but it looked impossible.  I held the instructions and read the first one out loud to Brett.  “Take the corner and fold it diagonally to the other corner.”  It sounded so easy, but Brett questioned which corner to which corner as it was in the shape of a pentagon.     So I dutifully read the instructions out loud again, this time more slowly, “Take the corner and fold it diagonally to the other corner.”   Finally after much discussion he picked a corner and folded it to an opposite corner.

Great!  Step one was completed.  Now, on to step two.  I slowly continued to read the instructions.  “Fold the top corner back under itself.”  Brett assured me that couldn’t be done, it would break.  I annoyingly read the instructions out loud again.  Brett assured me again that if he folded it back under itself it would break.  I’ll have to admit, it sure didn’t look like it could fold back under it self, but then again it did vaguely show it being done in the picture that accompanied the instructions.

I’m going to assume that being a female, I have followed more instructions in my life than my husband Brett.  Since instructions generally work when I follow them, experience has conditioned me to follow the instructions even if they aren’t making sense.  So, I handed him the instructions, took the corner and folded it under itself.  Once it had been folded under it just naturally started to fold over on itself and next thing you know it was in a 2×2 shape and we stuffed it into the plastic bag.

Brett likes to say, “You only need to know the next step to take.”  An illustration for his quote popped into my head a couple of days ago.  Unfortunately for Brett this idea popped into my head about 5am while we were staying in a hotel.  Since I didn’t want to forget it and I was too lazy to crawl out of bed and sit on the hard bathroom floor so as not to disturb Brett with my tapping on the computer, I grabbed the computer and crawled back into bed.

Imagine a man climbing a narrow mountain path in pitch darkness.  He spots a pin point of light in the distance and when he arrives at the source of the light he discovers a lamp-post.  After spending so long in the dark, he doesn’t want to leave the lamp-post.  But, after several days he has consumed nearly all his food and water and must continue his journey.  He audibly says, “I sure wish I could take this lamp-post with me.”  To his surprise the lamp-post replies, “I can go with you and show you the way.”  The man and the lamp-post continue the journey up the mountain to the next village.  Just when the path becomes especially narrow the lamp-post dims it’s light.  The man stops in his tracks and exclaims, “Why did you do that?  I can’t see anymore!”  The lamp-post replied, “Look down.  How far can you see?”  “I can only see the next step,” the man replied.  “Then take the next step forward, for that is all you need to see, one step at a time.”

God created a plan for my life.  Too many times I have my own master plan and don’t bother following the plan God has for me.  My master plan has a great beginning and an even better ending.  It is harder to follow God’s plan because He wants me to have enough faith in Him to follow Him one step at a time.  The more often I follow Him one step at a time the easier it is to hear His voice and follow the plan He has for me.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11