Hit the Sawdust Trail

“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” — Psalm 40:2
 
How steady are your feet when life knocks you down?
 
Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player who gave his life to Christ. He worked with the YMCA for a while, and then God opened the door for him to become an evangelist all across our country. The crowds got so big that no church building could hold them, so they pitched huge tents and put sawdust down the aisles. When people came forward to give their lives to Christ, they called it “hitting the sawdust trail.” And Billy Sunday would sometimes make his entrance running down the aisle and sliding into the pulpit like he was sliding into third base.
 
He once said, “It is not how high you jump, but rather how straight and firm your feet land when you hit the ground.”
 
I love that. Many of us are impressed with the high jumps. We remember the mountaintop experience at camp, the conference that fired us up, and the Sunday we cried at the altar. Those moments are wonderful. But God is more interested in where your feet land on Monday morning.
 
David knew what it was like to be stuck in the mud. He says God pulled him up out of the miry bog and set his feet on a rock. Notice who did the lifting. David didn’t climb out on his own. God lifted him out and gave him somewhere solid to stand.
 
If you’re in Christ, God has already pulled you out of the pit. Now He wants you to walk steady. That’s what living to please God looks like. It’s less about big spiritual leaps and more about faithful steps, one after another.
 
So check your footing today. Where are you standing when things go wrong? If it’s on your feelings, your finances, or other people’s opinions, you’ll slip. Plant your feet back on the Rock, and take the next faithful step.