Always Two or Three Steps Behind

For most of my life, I’ve felt like I was always two or three steps behind everyone else.  Several steps behind my classmates, steps behind in athletics, behind in success, in understanding, and even in my walk with God. You too?

It seemed like other people were always hitting milestones I hadn’t reached yet.  Promotions, opportunities, clarity, direction — while I was still trying to figure out where I fit. I’d catch myself thinking, “If I could just catch up…”

This past Saturday morning, I was catching up with my good friend Mike Conner – Founder, Publisher, and Writer at AskAHoosier.com.

Mike shared a story from years ago when a co-worker, in a moment of frustration, said to him, “You just don’t get it!” We laughed, because we’ve been there — feeling a step or two behind everyone else, trying to catch up with life and, at times, even with God.

But lately, as I’ve been writing a book of my memoirs.  In looking back at the moments that shaped me, something shifted. It’s not that I’ve been behind all these years. It’s that God’s been ahead… preparing the way.

The Paradigm Shift

The more I write, the more I see the pattern.
Every delay had a purpose. Every detour had a direction. And every “not yet” from God was really a quiet “I’m getting things ready.”

I used to think I was trailing behind, trying to catch up to where He wanted me to be. Now I see it differently. God was, and always is, a few steps ahead, laying the groundwork for what’s next.

He’s like a builder preparing the foundation before the frame goes up.
Like a coach setting up the next play before the team even realizes it.
Like a gardener tending the soil long before the seed is planted.

He’s always working ahead of us. We just don’t always see it until later.

God’s Timing Is Preparation

When life slows down, or doors don’t open as quickly as we hoped, it’s easy to think we’ve fallen behind. But that’s not how God works.

He doesn’t measure our progress by the world’s pace. He’s more concerned with what He’s cultivating in us than how fast we’re moving.

Looking back, I can see that the times I thought I was “behind” were actually times God was building something in me – things like patience, humility, resilience, and dependence.

He was setting the stage for the very moments I thought I’d missed.

The Truth About Being ‘Behind’

John 13:7 says, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
That verse hits differently when you stop trying to keep up and start trusting Who is leading.

We don’t have to chase God down.
We just have to walk with Him.  Trusting in Him that the next step will be ready when we get there.

Because He has already been there.

He’s already preparing the conversation you’ll need to have.  The opportunity that will open.  The person who will encourage you. The lesson you’ll finally understand.

You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

Final Thoughts

Maybe you’ve felt like you’re always a few steps behind, behind in success, behind in understanding, behind in your walk with God.

But you’re not behind. You’re becoming.

God’s not running away from you; He’s running ahead of you.  He’s preparing the next chapter before you even turn the page. He’s already in your tomorrow, setting the scene for your arrival.

He is always ahead of you. He will never fail you – He Won’t!

Challenge of the Week

When you feel that tug of comparison or that ache of delay, pause and remind yourself – God is ahead of me, preparing what’s next.
Instead of asking, “Why am I not there yet?”, ask, “What is God preparing in me right now?”

Watch how that one shift, from striving to trusting, will bring peace to your pace.
Because His “slow” is often your “setup.”  So be it!