The Bridge, the Downhill, and the Step-by-Step Trust

Every day I can, I run the bridge that sits in plain view from my balcony. Because everything here in Florida is so flat, it is the only real hill around. I like to tackle it in the middle of the day when it is hot. It is approximately a two-mile run, and breaking 16 minutes recently was a massive deal for a 52-year-old former track star.

When you push yourself like that, you start to notice things. Yesterday, as I was pushing up the incline, my heart rate hit 193. Time to back off. Usually, I keep it under 160. But even when the pain sets in and I am hurting, I refuse to stop and walk. Most people do, but I like to just keep going, one step after another.

I've realized something profound about where I fix my gaze when the climb gets intensely difficult. If I look up at the crest of the bridge and focus on all the distance left in front of me, I will absolutely fail. The mountain looks too big. But if I just look down, focus on the very next step, breathe slowly, and keep a good stride, I know I will make it to the top. The relief when I finally reach that crest is incredible.

And then comes the downhill. For a lot of marathon runners, running downhill is actually more punishing than the climb. Not for me. I completely let my body relax, release the tension, and just let the hill take me. My hips don't hurt, and I don't get the same mental fatigue I experience when grinding it out on flat ground.

Running this bridge has taught me so much about the reality of walking with God.

So often, we want to see the end prize. We are told to keep our eyes fixed on the final goal. But when you are living for God, He rarely reveals the end of the story. He wants us to trust Him day by day, step by step. He lights the path right at our feet, not the entire mountain in front of us. Today's reading in Proverbs echoes this exact reality, warning us, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring".

My life has been anything but slow and steady. There is no middle ground for me; it has been a life of absolute extremes. Worth millions, then bankrupt. Enjoying profound peace, then shattered by murder. Perfectly healthy, then battling through the unhealthy. I am on the bridge of life right now, and realistically, I have less life ahead of me than what I have already lived. My soul is deeply yearning for the slow and steady, for the peaceful downhill where I can just let the Lord take me, with fewer agonizing peaks and valleys. Lord willing, that is coming.

As I read through Proverbs today, there were a few verses that stopped me in my tracks—heavy verses that are hard to know what to make of, especially Proverbs 28:17, which states, "Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back".

When you have lost a son to violence, a verse like that is jarring. But it is a stark reminder of God's inescapable justice. The wicked who choose perverse ways will fall into their own pit. I do not have to carry the burden of vengeance or figure out the end of that story. I just have to look down, take the next faithful step, and trust the Lord with the rest.

As you look at the week ahead, what is one specific "next step" you can fix your gaze on right now to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed by the bigger mountain of tasks and emotions?