The Next Step

Feeling overwhelmed with obligations, responsibilities, purposes, visions, burdens, worries.
Trying to prioritize.
What's the next step?  There are so many. How do I do it all?

...one step at a time...

There can only be one next step! It's impossible to take more than one step at a time.
That narrows it down quite a bit.

In order to move at all, I just have to pick one next step.

That step might be a physical action, an emotional shift, or an intellectual "ah-ha!" It might take a few seconds, a day, or a month. I may not even realize when it was completed, but hind-sight will tell me
...it is finished.

Then...the next next step...
...just pick one.

Serendipitous Fortune Cookie

Fortune cookies, to me, are entertainment and dessert. I don't put any more faith in them than I do in any other "coincidence" that God has orchestrated.
With that said, I find it very interesting that I had the following fortune this past week (in light of my last post):

"No one can walk backwards into the future."

Perhaps a little serendipitous.
Perhaps coincidence.
Perhaps divine orchestration.
Definitely encouragement...to consider boldly facing forward into the future, instead of settling for facing backward.

Logistically, I do believe it is possible to "walk backwards into the future." But the point might be that one cannot do it as boldly, confidently, or courageously as is possible by facing the future.

I'd like to face my future boldly, confidently, and courageously. Next step...discovering the next step.
Thus, the journey continues.

I'm a Dreamer.

I’m a dreamer. Daytime and nighttime. They intermix...the daytime with nighttime dreams...the dreams themselves...and dreams with reality (whatever that is).

My day dreams aren’t as often whimsical fantasies of escape as they are visions of a radical future. They include both promises fulfilled and the battles fought along the way. They are frequently overwhelming and hard to wrap my mind around. They are the dreams that I am compelled to share with my closest friends, who are always quick to affirm the passion they’ve stirred.

My night dreams are sometimes too prolific to process. Even those rambling, inane trips through an ever-changing landscape tend to hide in them profound messages of hope and encouragement: keep the faith...you can do it...this journey is yours...embrace who you are. The messages can be simple and obvious (don’t eat ice-cream before going to sleep) or deep and difficult (the call to step out of my comfort zone...further). The meaning for me seems to be glaringly obvious at first awakening, but the more I think on it, the more complex it becomes. Keeping a dream journal is invaluable, but in hindsight, it is always amazing how much is revealed to me through dreams that I don’t process consciously.

Recording my visions and dreams, followed by my thoughts and interpretations of each, then looking back through them every few months, has been an adventure. In trying to keep moving forward in life, while facing backward, my dreams are those peripheral glimpses of the path ahead of me.

This week, a dear friend helped me to see that perhaps facing backward isn't necessarily the default in life. Maybe my personal journey includes having the courage to actually turn around and boldly face forward on the path. Maybe it's possible to move toward those visions with more confidence and less fear. I like it. It might take me a while, but I’m game.

I'm hoping you'll walk with me and let me know when you notice me starting to face forward!