Watch Your Step, October 18
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Dan Held
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber (Psalm 121:3 NIV).
While hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I was headed up a rather steep section of our trail when I glanced up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the trail’s summit. I wanted to see how much farther of a climb we still had ahead of us. Suddenly, I felt a rock beneath my right foot begin to slide, and in what seemed like slow motion, my entire body went backward and down onto the rocky soil below. I landed on my right elbow and felt an instant sting—then a wider sense of having landed on my entire right side with my shoulder trapped beneath my weight—then a sense of utter embarrassment at the thought of others seeing me sprawled there in the path. I didn’t break anything; there were just some abrasions and bruises to contend with. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” I assured my companions. But I really wasn’t. Inwardly, I cursed my own stupidity!
As a cancer caregiver in company of my wife, we have both noticed in this rather steep section of life’s trail a tendency to look ahead to see what still awaits along our journey. When will this hike finally end? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
In today’s verse, the psalmist offers us a helpful reassurance that God is watching over us night and day and sees how far we have to go. We don’t have to look ahead or wonder and worry about our journey’s summit. Why is that? Because God knows when we turn our eyes from that loose stone we’re about to step onto, we are most at risk of falling and getting bruised up. Or worse.
When we let God account for our future destination, we are free to focus on our next step so we don’t place all our weight upon that loose gravel below. When God does the watching over our day and night, we are free to step into our own next moment. When He is alert to our future, we can be more safely alert to the present—and keep our foot from slipping. “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3).
Pray: O guiding God, thank You for watching up ahead and leading our journey again today. You’ve led this tour for countless others. You know the way. Free me today to just watch my next step, and to stay safe in Your presence one moment at a time. Amen.
Your Turn: Practice today being mindful of each moment, reassured that God is watching over your future hike along life’s trail.
Dan Held, Cancer Caregiver
Dan is a cancer caregiver who lives with his wife (Sue) of 55 years in Dayton, Ohio, where Sue has been free from breast cancer and colon cancer for two years! Dan is an ordained pastor and a licensed therapist with a heart for families touched by cancer at any stage. He is dedicated to promoting the message of more love and less fear in all aspects of his ministry and life. Check out his blog at www.danielkheld.com.
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