Carefully Measuring Your Steps...

FitBits are great little gadgets.  Among other things, they track how many steps you take and the distance you’ve covered.  They even estimate the number of calories you might have burned in taking all those steps. 

In Proverbs, we find this interesting statement:  “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps” (14:15).

I don’t think that the Proverb is referring to a FitBit and the information it typically gathers and makes available.  I think it’s referring to the direction that our steps take. 

The psalmist wrote:  “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”  (Ps 119:105).  While we may want to have the entire path well lit and the way clearly marked, God’s word provides enough light for the next step.  That sometimes seems so meager and even frustrating, but it’s actually just what we need. 

Paul wrote “look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16).  Our steps should be carefully chosen and taken so that we do not waste time by going in the wrong direction or straying from the right path. 

While our trusty FitBit might tell us the number of steps we took, it does not have the ability to tell us if we were on the right path and if we are taking the right steps.  That requires the Word of God to light the way for our next step and wisdom to see and take the right one.