I remember as a young boy playing a game with my neighborhood friends where we would have a leader who would yell out, “baby step” or “giant step.” The purpose of the game was to get to the goal line first—an easy game to play.  However, I often had difficulty because if you stumbled you had to go back to the start and begin again.

You see the hazard of the game was that both steps had rules. “Baby Steps” had the rule that both feet had to touch, so of course you were placing one foot just in front of the other. “Giant steps” were fun because you could stretch as far as you could, but often you ended in a heap because it was easy to loose balance.

I have discovered the same game in living life, especially if we are trying to live a purposeful life.  “Giant steps” appear more appealing because all of us want to take great strides toward becoming the people God intended for us to be. However, “giant steps” are awkward at best, and most often end in a disappointed heap.

I have learned that most of life is a series of “baby steps”, slow mythological, calculated steps toward an intended goal. I believe scripture backs this idea us as well. The apostle Paul in the third chapter of Philippians gives us some great insight into this idea.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The problem I face is that I want to short circuit the process, and “GIANT STEPS” seem to be the best way to get it done. Yet “giant steps” miss the point. “Giant steps” are about me.  They say, “Hey look at what I can do.”  They are self-centered, and YES, most times we stumble on the journey with “Giant Steps.”

“Baby Steps” are not glamorous. Nevertheless, when we look back after some time in the baby step process, we discover that we have traveled forward toward our goal.

From one Baby Stepper to another…

Pastor Rip

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