And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
The First Step
The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse once said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." While we all tend to focus on the destination, the time it will take to complete our journey or the items we need to accomplish it, the trip itself cannot begin until we're willing to take the first step.
Abraham was willing to take that first step. True, Haran was not his ultimate destination. Some have faulted him for stopping short of Canaan. We don't know for sure why he didn't go on. Perhaps his father, Terah, was not physically able to continue. We do know that Terah died in Haran. It is also possible that Abraham got temporarily sidetracked. Circumstances may have caused him momentarily to forget that God's call was to Canaan, not Haran. But we should never forget that at least Abraham took the first step toward his ultimate destination.
You, too, may have a goal in mind. Perhaps God has burdened your heart to teach a Sunday school class, to receive more training in the Bible or to witness to your neighbor. But as you look at that objective, you don't see how you can reach it. The way seems too long or the process too difficult. The answer is to take the first step. Even though the way may not seem clear at the moment, you can be sure that if you don't begin, you'll never finish.
Trust God to provide whatever is needed along the way. As you step out in faith, expect God to step in with power. As you take the first step, He will make sure all the other steps fall in place.
The hardest step is always the first step.