A lady relates that one day when she had been taking a walk with her niece, in order to reach home they had to cross a stream. There was no bridge, but large stones had been placed in the water on which to step. There had been rain lately, and the water rushed along as if angry that such great stones were in its way.
Well, the lady began to cross on the stones, but looking back she saw her niece was not following her. “What, Jane, why are you not coming?”
“O, aunt, I dare not, I am afraid.” “Afraid! do you not see how firm the stones are?”
“O, there are so many, and the water is so deep. I shall never get over. I cannot! I dare not!” and the timid girl burst into tears. Her aunt passed over to the other side, and then returned to show her how easy it was; still she was quite afraid. At last her aunt told her it was only needful to take a step at a time—could she not take one step? At length she mustered courage to take one step—the stones were firm; then she took another; and then another, and so got safely over. Before she tried, she said the stones were so many, but one step at a time took her over.
And so it is with many things in life. When looked at at a distance they look dreadful. Why, if a little boy or girl look at the middle of their arithmetic, they see dreadfully hard sums that they can in no way understand. But let them go back to the beginning and learn to take the first step, “twice two are four:” and step by step they master all the difficulties right up to those dreadful sums.
A lady lying sick in a hospital said to her physician, “Doctor, how long shall I have to lie here?”
He said, “My dear madam, only a day at a time.”
If we take a step at a time, in dependence and obedience to the Lord, as He gives us light, He will lead us into His deeper truths, and into communion with Himself.