Manage It (Victorious in Christ) Monday: Guest Post Written by Sharon Kirby

You are in for a treat the next few weeks!  Guest posts from some great people!  Though my trip planning is going much better, I still need to pull back from blogging a little bit in order to dedicate more time to it, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening here!  In fact, it means that you're going to get to meet some wonderful writers while I take a break! I'm very excited! If this first week is any indication of what's in store for us, it's going to be so good.  Oh, and that reminds me:

If you're a Christian writer or blogger, and you're interested in writing a guest post for Manage It (VIC) Monday, or Timely Tips on Tuesday or Love and Marriage, or you have a recipe you'd like to share, please send me an email ASAP (find my email by clicking on "Contact Me" up above), and I'll get back to you as soon as I can to talk over all the details!

Today, I am thrilled to introduce to you a new "bloggy friend" of mine, Sharon Kirby, of Sharon Sharing God.  Please go over, visit her and take a look around when you get a chance!  I've only known Sharon a short time, but already I've been so blessed by her love for the Lord, her inspirational writing and her vivacious personality!  Thank you, Sharon, for sharing with us today!
If you like what you see, from Sharon or me, please comment and follow!

Meet Sharon

I am a married, "50-something" Christian woman, and mom to two grown sons. 

I’m an official "Change-of-Life Empty-Nester"!! God is moving my life in new directions (like starting a blog!).  I desire nothing more than to follow in His footsteps, and to share my journey with others.  In my blog, I tell stories and anecdotes from life and relate them to a lesson from God’s Word, showing how God speaks to us in all the simple things that happen day-to-day.  May He bless us all with His strength, His courage, and His power!

IN HIS FOOTSTEPS

Sometimes following is not an easy thing to do.  Some of us are not natural followers.  We want to lead, to choose our own way, and trust our own judgment.  And more often than not, that is when we really lose our way.

My husband and I love to go camping.  Quite often we go hiking.  Some of these hikes are more like leisurely strolls that don’t wander far from familiar pathways.  But sometimes we just strike out and go where our feet take us.  We don’t go with a map, we don’t take a compass or a GPS device…we just walk.  And yet, I can honestly say that I have never been afraid of getting lost.  You know why?  I trust my husband.  Sometimes when we’ve been hiking for a long time I get really hot and tired, and sometimes I don’t think I can take another step.  What do I do?  I keep my husband in my sights ahead of me, and I just plod on after him.

On one particular hike in Joshua Tree National Park in California, the full realization of what I was doing hit me.  We were making our way back to camp after a full day of hiking and exploring.  It was starting to get a little dark, I was thirsty, and I was completely tuckered out.  We were going in the general direction of where we had left the car – at least we thought so!!  But the going was tough.  Joshua Tree is beautiful in its own desert way – but for hiking, it’s just dirt, scrubby bushes, and endless boulders to scramble over.  Each footstep became harder and harder.  I was so tired I could barely look up.  But as long as I could see the faint traces of my husband’s footprints in the dirt, I just placed my feet in line with his…and followed.

God taught me a great lesson that day.  We are to TRUST Him…and follow.  Look for His footprints, place one foot in front of the other in line with His, and go where He leads.  Jesus issued this challenging invitation throughout the New Testament…and it’s the same thing He calls us to today – “Come, follow Me.”

I’d like to encourage all of you to start each day by praying to the Lord, telling Him that you are ready to listen to His voice and to follow where He leads.  Be ready.  He may lead you through sadness or suffering.  He may lead you through pain.  He may bring you into a wilderness, or have you climb some boulders.  But always remember this:  He goes with you EACH and EVERY step of the way!

So onward

I plod

planting my feet

in the

firm footholds

He has already made,

trusting Him

completely,

and knowing

I am totally safe –

as long as I follow…

I am

accompanied by

His sense of peace

along the way,

for I know

that

Someone who loves me

is leading me,

and He will

bring me safely

home

if I just trust Him

and follow…

…in His footsteps.

c.  Sharon Kirby

 May 23, 2006

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they FOLLOW ME.”

(John 10:27 – NLT)

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!