The Silence Between Steps

The Silence Between Steps

Understanding the Formation of Faith

Personal reflections from a fellow traveler.  Not AA approved literature.  Shared in the spirit of Experience, Strength, and Hope.

Faith. Trust. Patience. Surrender.

Four simple words. Four difficult practices.

I've often wondered why I struggle so much with things I claim to believe in. I believe in God. I believe in His guidance. I believe that His plans are greater than my own. Yet, when faced with uncertainty, I find myself questioning the very things I profess to trust.

Sound familiar?

I've discovered that taking the next right step isn't always the difficult part. Sometimes, it's what happens afterward. The waiting. The wondering. The silence.

I pray. I seek guidance. I take action. And then? Nothing.

No answer. No reassurance. No clear indication of what comes next.

It is in these moments that my faith is challenged. My mind begins manufacturing possibilities, questioning decisions, and searching for answers that haven't yet been revealed. I want confirmation. I want certainty. More often than I'd like to admit, I want control.

Perhaps that's where the trouble begins.

I've come to understand that there is a difference between surrendering an outcome and simply asking God to approve the one I've already chosen. One requires faith. The other requires little more than patience with my own expectations.

Recovery has taught me that I don't need to see the entire staircase to take the next step. Yet, I still find myself standing on one step, demanding to know where the others lead.

What if the silence isn't an absence of guidance, but an opportunity for growth?

What if God is doing His greatest work in me during the moments when I cannot see Him working around me?

A seed doesn't become a tree overnight. Its roots develop beneath the surface, hidden from view. There is growth taking place long before there is evidence of anything worth seeing. Perhaps my faith develops in much the same way.

Today, I'm learning that stillness isn't necessarily stagnation. Waiting isn't always wasted time. And silence doesn't mean I've been abandoned.

My responsibility is to practice the principles I've been taught, remain willing, and take the next right step when it becomes clear.

The outcome isn't mine to control. The timing isn't mine to determine.

Where in my life can I form faith through silence?