Stepping Stones

Earlier this evening while sitting near the indoor pool at our hotel in Birmingham, listening to my children swim and play, I took close notice of the floor surrounding the pool...as most moms would, I suppose. It's a beautiful, lavish floor, with genuine stones brought flawlessly together, despite their vast differences in shape and size, texture and color.

Being the thinker that I am, this floor reminds me immediately of the path I am on, my journey to freedom. Each stone is unique. I could walk the circumference of the pool a dozen times and never take the same path twice.

The only part that matters though, is that one stone always, without fail, leads to the next stone. At no point in walking toward the exit, or the pool, or the showers, will I run out of stones before I reach my destination.

Isn't that a beautiful metaphor for our journey to freedom? ...paved with a variety of challenges and victories...one victory, no matter how big or small, always leads somewhere...one challenge will inevitably lead me to another, unpredictable place...losses of varying magnitude are sprinkled among the stones.

And yet, what is certain is that freedom awaits on the other side. And ladies, behind us will be an unimaginable, unmatched and priceless work of a lifetime...an imperfect, yet perfect, unfathomable gift from God.