One Foot in Front of The Other

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -Martin Luther King Jr.

I am a person who loves quotes and I frequently find myself searching online through the many quote sites that can be found within the wonderful realm of cyberspace. I am drawn to the wisdom, depth and inspiration that is found within these timeless treasures. I wasn't surprised to find myself really connecting to the quote above.

For those of you who chat with me on msn, you have likely noticed that I have this particular Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote listed in my "tagline". When I found it, I felt like it was speaking the words on my heart and mind. It was the nudge I needed to remember to have faith! It has now become one of my favourite mantra's.

Faith...it is a measure of confidence and belief in ability. There have been many times, over the last several months in particular, that I have felt less than confident, in fact have felt very little faith. In the place where faith lay within me, I was filled with hopelessness...a dark and scary place where just having the ability to face the day with one foot in front of the other took every ounce of that glimmer of faith still flickering within me to do so.

There are so many unknowns in life...times when we can't see the whole staircase and that sense can be absolutely terrifying for many people, especially a person who thrives on control like I do. I am a planner, someone who makes lists, thinks ahead, assesses the situation....and to be faced with not being able to see the whole staircase makes everything in me want to turn, run and hide.

When I think about the many partial staircases in my life right now, many where I can barely see that first step, I know that the only way I will be able to move forward is to fill myself with faith, otherwise the fear will consume me and I won't be able to take that necessary step and will become paralyzed waiting at the bottom, or perhaps the top of the staircase.

I will rely on that glimmer of faith that still burns within me to help me take that step and each step thereafter...and hopefully somewhere along the lines of being able to see more and more of that staircase I will develop the confidence and belief in ability that will be necessary to get me through my journey.

To those of you who have faith in me, when I can't see it myself, I thank you for loving me, supporting me and for being patient with me as I take each and every step on the staircase!