Following the Call of Jesus - The Glorious Table

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The Christmas trees were huge, all lined up close together with their branches touching each other. And she was just a tiny thing, barely able to walk!”

The Christmas season isn’t complete without my mom beginning one of her favorite stories with these words.

The fear in my gut as she tells it must be a phantom feeling born of the forty-plus times I’ve heard the story. Nonetheless, it takes me right back to those pokey branches separating me from the safety of my mom. The only way back to her was through those branches. I froze. Fear blocked my way as surely as the tree. My eyes were screwed shut, so I didn’t know Mom had turned to face me until she spoke. Instead of scooping me up in a rescue, she knelt down and called to me. Her voice encouraged me to venture straight into what made my toddler mind scream, “Danger!” and became louder than the fear.

I ran.

Eyes clamped closed to block out the danger.

Arms outstretched towards safety.

Heart pounding, breath short.

Little legs not able to move fast enough but determined not to stop.

Branches pushing against me.

Listening to the voice I trusted.

Relationship trumps logic. It happened with me and my mom then, and it happens with me and Jesus today.

Join me over at The Glorious Table to read the rest.

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Lori Florida

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