4 Key Steps to Moving Forward (and they rhyme so theyโre easy to remember)
People can get stuck… some get stuck in a mood and feel depressed or just sad, some get stuck in an attitude and feel angry or confused. Others get in a rut and think there is no way out. Still others mess up somehow and believe there is no way to move on.
It’s not new.
Over and over we see Biblical characters getting stuck.
- Noah let his guard down and embarrassed himself and his family.
- Elijah felt alone and depressed right after he was involved in two major miracles.
- David got distracted and totally messed up when he wasn’t focused.
- Thomas doubted.
- Peter denied.
And the list could go on and on…
But thanks be to God – He always offers us a way out!
So, whether it’s you yourself that needs an assist out of a pit, or you need tools to offer that assist to someone you are working with, here’s 4 key steps to moving forward.
The first one sounds religious, but hear me out!
Repent – It’s kind of a church word isn’t it. People outside the kingdom probably never use this word, but it singularly powerful!
Repent means to change your heart and life. To do a 180 turn around.
As humans we typically don’t like to be wrong. We justify our actions or our attitudes. We usually feel “right in our own eyes”. But when we humble ourselves and acknowledge our humanity, it is the first step to forward movement and freedom from whatever form of “stuckness” we are in.
Baby steps toward repentance could sound like this:
“I didn’t mean to, but I slipped back into…”
“I didn’t see it like that, but now I realize that…”
“I didn’t set out to get stuck, but I see now that I am not really moving forward ….”
These statements, or something like them, transition us right into step two.
Pray – This step can feel a little ethereal. I mean how do you know if you are doing it “right”?
It’s easy to say things like, “Prayer is just you sharing your heart with God” and they would be true, but the hard part is the not knowing if He is hearing. He doesn’t often respond verbally and our feelings may or may not shift when we pray, but what if prayer is more about the giving than the getting?
What if prayer is us acknowledging our humanness by asking for forgiveness, releasing our will, and requesting guidance?
Listen – This one is the most difficult for me, or maybe I should say tricky. Yet, when I intentionally set my heart toward Him it happens.
I hear.
Rarely is it in words, but more in a sensing of what I should be doing or a divine idea for a next step. If I’m honest there is usually a little more waiting involved than I would like, but the waiting helps me to center myself and still my soul, to not assume, and not to rush. The waiting is worth it.
How about you? How does listening work for you?
Obey – It’s one thing to know what to do and another to actually do it.
It’s one thing to agree with a concept and another to walk it out.
For me obeying is usually a process and not an event. I’m learning to become a person who values kingdom living over personal preference. But I am also learning that whatever is hardest isn’t always what is best. Our souls need time for fun. Our bodies need rest. Our spirits need pacing.
Maybe it would help to include some actual pathways for Repent, Pray, Listen and Obey.
I feel bad about the way a conversation went.
- I acknowledge that just maybe I had a part, and tell God I am sorry.
- I ask Him to show me what to do.
- I listen for how I could do it differently next time and whether I should talk to the person.
- I follow up with changing my approach and/or apologizing to the other person.
My eyes are open to the fact that I have been coasting in a certain area of my life.
- I tell God I am ready to move forward.
- I ask for clarity on my next step.
- I pay attention to the prompting.
- I commit to a baby step of change.
One more.
I know I need to change a habit – to let go of something, or start something else or both.
- I confess my putting this off.
- I ask God for courage, strength and wisdom to move forward.
- I discern how to make the shift.
- I lean in and embrace a new normal one step at a time.
These 4 Key Steps to Moving Forward can be the game changing difference needed to becoming the you God intends for you to be!
These steps can be used on your own or as a great outline in a coaching relationship!
How about you? Where could you use these 4 Key Steps to Moving Forward?
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