Catherine Stewart, OP Keeping In Step with Jesus One day, as I was leading a group of kindergartners back to their room, a little girl said to me, “I have feet just like you.” I silently pondered her words, and quickly looked down at her feet and my feet. She had on little white tennis shoes and I had on black dress shoes; she had tiny feet and I had large feet. In the meantime, the little girl tugged on my dress and said, “I told you, I have feet just like you.” All at once, it dawned on me and I replied, “I get it. When my right foot takes a step, your right foot takes a step and when my left foot takes a step, your left takes a step.” The girl gave me a big smile and said, “I told you I had feet just like you.” As I left the building that day, I recalled this incident and then wondered, Am I in step with Jesus? How do I stay in step with him? How do I get back in step with him if I’ve fallen out of step? In reflecting on the Scriptures, there are seven themes that help me stay in step with Jesus. These themes are often intertwined with each other. The first theme is acceptance. Do I accept myself as I am right now? Have I learned that Jesus accepts where I am and then invites me to grow? There are many weaknesses of which I am aware, but rather than trying to “control” them, do I gently acknowledge them and see the gifts they bring into my life? Jesus accepted Zacchaeus where he was and then invited him to become more. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19: 5) Keeping in step with Jesus requires obedience. Am I willing to silently sit and listen for God’s voice? Each day, I plan on what I intend to accomplish that day. Am I so busy accomplishing my “to do list” that I miss seeing God in others? Do I miss opportunities to assist someone either by listening or lending a helping hand by opening the door for someone who has his/her hands full? Am I willing to set aside my “to do list” and follow my heart when I hear God asking me to do something else? We hear Jesus say, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14: 23) Walking in step with Jesus means that I am constantly deepening my relationship with him. I try to spend 45 minutes each day sitting quietly listening to him. When the distractions pull me away, I gently ask Jesus to bless each distraction and try to refocus on him. Jesus acknowledged the need for prayer as he taught “but when you pray, go into your room, close your door and pray to your Father.” (Matthew 6:6) My least favorite way of being in step with Jesus is to accept suffering. My first reaction to suffering is to want to wave my “magic wand” and either “fix it” or “make it go away.” Yet, I have learned that some lessons may only be learned in suffering. No matter how painful or how lonely the suffering appears, I know that Jesus not only walks with me but holds my hand tightly as we walk the difficult path together. Jesus calls each of us “to take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) The next way Jesus invites me to be in step with him is by loving others. Am I willing to go the extra step to help the poor, the sick, and the lonely? Am I willing to step aside and put others first? Am I willing to look at others with eyes that love rather than eyes that judge? We hear Jesus say, “Do no judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2) Just being with people is another way to be in step with Jesus. Often acquaintances, friends, and family just need someone to be there for them. It’s not important what I say or do, but it’s my presence that counts. We remember in the life of Jesus that he often had dinner with tax collectors and sinners. “When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners’?” (Matthew 9:11) The final way of being in step with Jesus is through forgiveness. I must be willing to acknowledge the times that I am out of step and humbly ask for God’s forgiveness. At the same time, I must be willing to forgive others who have hurt me. Perhaps this step takes more courage than any of the other steps. Forgiveness demands total vulnerability. In that vulnerability, I am able to walk more closely with others and with God. Jesus taught us to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:4) Acceptance, obedience, prayer, suffering, love, presence and forgiveness are the ways in which I can keep in step with Jesus. If I am in step with the One who calls me by name and loves me, I will be in step with all of God’s people. By the end of the day, may each of us confidently pray, “Jesus, I’ve got feet just like yours.” © 2007 Catherine Stewart, OP. May not be reproduced without permission.