Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Sometimes I find encouragement and inspiration in the most unlikely of places. Today it was in a Christmas cartoon I'm sure I've seen dozens of times.

Ballet class had run late, and my two younger girls had had a tough day, so I choose to stay home from BSF. To help take their minds off the tough ballet class (and the hard math lesson this morning and some general sisterly fussiness) we watched Santa Claus Is Coming to Town on TV. Which is kinda funny, since we don't do the Santa thing. 

I grew up watching this show every year, but it hit me tonight just how right the "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" song is. Before the song, the Wynter Wizard asks how he can make sure his decision to be good rather than evil will endure. He is afraid he will go back to his evil ways. That's when Kris Kringle advises him to "put one foot in front of the other" - to just worry about taking the next step in the right direction. What a terrific picture of repentance! And what great encouragement when we're faced with things that seem impossible.

My girls have seen that this week. When one was discouraged by really good but not perfect test scores, I encouraged her to begin a study plan to improve. When two of my ballerinas were discouraged by the difficulty of their recital piece, I encouraged them to keep practicing! I know in a few months those things that so discouraged them today will be things they have learned and become more confident in doing. 

The things my girls have are skill-based and, in the grand scheme of things,not that difficult to overcome.  I have been faced with an area of my life where I need to make some changes that will not come naturally to me.To me this seems so much harder than just improving a skill. Sometimes I look at how far I need to go and feel intimidated. But I don't need to focus on trying to run. I can begin by just standing. I can stand on God's Truth about myself and about His power in me. Then I can begin to take steps in the right direction. I know I won't arrive at once, but if I "put one foot in front of the other, " I will arrive someday!