After watching the Olympics, I’m always left inspired and awestruck by the amazing performances of the world’s best athletes. Gymnastics is a particular favorite of mine, as my mom was an elite gymnast in her day.

I also did gymnastics in my youth, but there was nothing elite about my performance. I could barely keep myself upright on the balance beam. Afraid of heights, I would gingerly step along that 4-inch-wide piece of wood suspended in the air, shaking, looking down, unsure of every next move for fear of falling.

Today, these young women are not only stepping along with confidence, they are tumbling, turning, leaping, and spinning with precision, landing seemingly impossible moves without wavering. All of us at home are thinking, “There is no way!” But they have found a secure footing after years of trying, failing, falling, and getting back up again. 

You know where I’m going with this…

There are so many steps we take in life that have us feeling unsure of our footing. Going to a new school, starting a new job, entering a new relationship, taking on a new venture. Even when we feel we’ve mastered certain things, life can throw a curveball and we’re back on unsteady ground. 

Enter this beautiful scripture…

“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.” (Psalm 18:36)

That would have come in handy on the balance beam.

Just envision that thought in a few different ways: a narrow staircase, and the Lord widens each step. Or stepping stones over water, and the Lord expands each stone. He enlarges the steps under us, so our feet don’t slip. 

Our walk with Jesus began with taking just one step toward Him; each step thereafter was supported by the Lord, and we are never more to walk alone. He is our secure footing. He is our stable ground. 

Does life have you tumbling, turning, leaping, and spinning into a dizzying array of mistakes and mess-ups? It may not be all that bad, but you’re feeling very unsure of the ground beneath your feet. Afraid of every next step. 

He doesn’t want us to fail. He doesn’t want us to fall. 

“When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.” (Psalm 94:18)

God in His mercy enlarges the very steps under our feet and becomes our steady foundation. 

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.