Journeys begin with one step

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Originally uploaded by bobmendo

The reality shows tire me. They feature stories of wayward youth and troubled pasts colliding with hopes and aspirations. The tears and the teary music remind us of 'not yet' dreams which just might be fulfilled if we vote for our candidate or vote someone else off the island.

And one of the tired words overused on each of those shows is the word 'journey.' Simply put a journey is a distance to be traveled or the time required for a trip. I would think the word emanates from the French for 'day' like journal or soup du jour. But let's not digress.

The producers of reality shows wear us down with stories, and the hosts and judges weary us further with epic journeys of their own.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” That quote is attributed to Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BCE)

As I walked into the Qantas Club today readying to answer emails and prepare for my journey to Melbourne, I heard an announcement "Thank you for making your journey with us today on Qantas." AAAAuuuggh, I thought this was only on the television. Oy.

I sat down and opened my briefcase and found the magazine I had brought along. "Blessed" The magazine of Awesome Church in Five Dock, NSW. It looks like it's been around a long time, but this is actually Volume One. It's really the first step in the journey for Awesome Church. Pastors Gary and Lissa write articles, as well as others are included. How good is God to give them this method of communicating to their own people and well beyond!

So then I found this photo I took out our balcony of the hotel in Malaga Spain a few years ago. Good times. And the walker and the cyclist and the joggers and the swimmer...each began with one step. I looked up on Google to find out which was the hardest stroke for swimmers and the answers were typically ranged from breaststroke to butterfly to... but I remember a famous swimmer from the past who answered, "The first stroke of the day on a cold day."

I guess Lao Tzu was right. The first step is the beginning of it all. Each man's run honestly begins with baby steps way back when. The Bible records
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (King Solomon in Proverbs. 9.10). So to end well, we have to begin well.

I wish Awesome Church every success in their new journey adventure. And I wish me success as I travel to Melbourne. And I wish you every success in being blessed by God today. Make sure you fear God, and your wisdom will be growing very well.