9,997 Steps

Check Your Progress

I surprised my hubby with a Fitbit for Christmas last year. I’m not sure why, but he wasn’t as excited about getting the gift as I was giving it. I mean, this hot new high-tech health gadget garnered such great attention that most websites were totally sold out. I felt blessed that Santa had saved one just for me.

I was certain my husband could benefit from the concept of wearing a digital device the size of a wrist watch that tracks every step he walks in the course of a day. No longer would he have to depend on his memory (we won’t go there!) to monitor his miles.

What a difference a few months make. Now I’m competing with this fabulous Fitbit to remain my husband’s best friend. He loves it! This tiny treasure has provided major motivation to reach his daily goal of 10,000 steps. Just the other night, he took the Fitbit off before getting into bed and asked me to upload the information onto his Fitbit dashboard. This is where he can view his steps, distance, weight changes and calories burned. It provides the most complete picture of his overall health. The wrist band never buzzed throughout the day like it does when he reaches his 10,000 steps, so he knew he was short. And, he never bothered to check his progress throughout the day.

Within a minute I was able to see his results. You’ve got to be kidding me — 9,997 steps! He missed his goal by 3 small steps? I resisted the temptation to interrupt his sleep with the news, but I knew he was going to be mad at himself in the morning. The first thing he said to me the next day was, “If I knew how close I was to 10,000 steps I would have kept the Fitbit on for another minute or so.” But he didn’t, and the reality is that he missed the mark by 3 steps — a minuscule amount compared to what he had already accomplished. He was waaaay closer than what he had thought. For if he had known the truth he would have certainly continued and reached his goal.

3 Steps Away from Your Miracle!

This same truth can be carried over into our spiritual lives. Most times, we’re closer than we think to obtaining answers to our prayers, but we quit right before the finish line. Oftentimes, we’re just 3 short steps away from receiving our miracle! But because we don’t have a dashboard at our disposal to see our progress, we stop praying and believing prematurely, right at the most critical time. I witness this same scenario, again and again, when ministering to the sick. Oh how I wish there was some sort of spiritual thermometer or graph to show them how close they are to receiving their healing.

Chronic physical pain is hard to handle. I’m speaking from experience. It wears you down. It makes you want to throw in the towel. It wreaks havoc in your finances and relationships. It’s downright depressing, and robs you of your destiny. But I’ve also learned this biblical principal: It’s darkest right before the dawn! The more you feel like giving up is a good indication that your breakthrough is a mere 3 steps away! You’re closer than you think… I’m praying for your healing today!