Follow Friday: 100 Steps, Baby Steps, and Following Jesus in the Mess

“Even when life feels like a soaked carpet and stacked dishes of bad decisions, Jesus is already standing in the doorway, inviting you to take just one small step closer to Him today.”

Following Jesus rarely looks like a perfectly mapped-out journey; most of the time, it looks like taking the next small step in front of you and trusting Him with the rest. Following Him in everyday moments means inviting His presence into the ordinary, the messy, and even the memories you’re tempted to be ashamed of. As those baby steps stack up, they begin to build something solid, brick by brick, that reflects who He always knew you could become.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Windemere Drive and 100 Steps

When I first moved out, I lived in apartment #14 on Windemere Drive in Lafayette, Indiana. From the back sliding door of that first place, it was exactly 100 steps to the Village Pantry (at the time) - 100 literal steps that would one day become a metaphor for how I follow Jesus. At 17/18 (senior in High School), my parents divorced, and it felt like the ground under my feet was shifting, like maybe the confusion and self-doubt were somehow part of the plan to throw me off balance.

That emotional chaos on the inside eventually started to leak into how I lived on the outside. In reality, other people’s choices may have wounded me, but they did not define me; they were wounds Jesus would later heal and use as part of my testimony.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV)

The Messy Apartment and Compounding Decisions

That first apartment was an absolute mess - spiritually and practically. The dishes would pile up for weeks, and when the water heater started leaking, did we call maintenance? Absolutely not. What began as a quarter-sized wet spot on the carpet eventually turned into a soaked section of floor that people had to literally jump over to get by.

That physical mess mirrored what was happening in my heart. In that season, my choices began compounding in the wrong direction. I experimented with things I shouldn’t have, drifted into patterns that did not honor God, and built habits that flowed from pain rather than purpose. Yet even in the chaos and clutter, God’s grace was quietly present, waiting for me to turn and realize He had never left.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Galatians 6:7 (NIV)

“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”
Romans 5:20 (NIV)

Brick by Brick: Why I Wouldn’t Change My Story

As wild and dysfunctional as that season was, I would not go back and erase it. Those rooms, those bad decisions, and even that soaked carpet are part of what formed the man who writes these words today. I learned that decisions - good or bad - rarely show their impact immediately, but with time they either build a prison or a pathway.

In that chapter, I also discovered something surprising: I love much deeper than most people. Even when situations were trashy on the outside, my heart still longed to care, to forgive, and to hold on to people longer than they sometimes deserved. That deep capacity to love became a clue about how God designed me, even when my life looked nothing like a polished Christian testimony. Jesus met me right there and started using even the broken pieces as part of His transformation process.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

Rizzy Do and Finding God in the Funny

We even had a cat - because what better idea than adding a pet into chaos? His name was “Rizzy Do.” One day, he leaped onto the counter, then up to the top of the fridge, and finally to the kitchen cabinets. From there, this ridiculously smart cat ripped open his own disposable litter box to take a dookie. It was one of the funniest moments of my life and still makes me laugh just typing it.

Why include a story like that in a Follow Friday post about Jesus? Because God is not allergic to your real life. He is not only present in your quiet time with worship music; He is also right there in the ridiculous, the gross, and the unexpected moments that become family legends. Joy and laughter are part of how He carries us through seasons that could otherwise swallow us whole.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

What It Means to Follow Jesus in Everyday Moments

So what does all of this have to do with following Jesus - especially on an ordinary Friday? For me, it means:

• You don’t need to see the whole path to start walking in the right direction.
• The sooner you start making good decisions and stringing them together, the quicker you rise into your highest, God-shaped self - but it still happens brick by brick.
• Your worst chapters do not disqualify you; they become testimonies when surrendered to Jesus.
• The small, mundane choices - doing the dishes, making the phone call, asking for help, being honest, forgiving first - are often where following Him matters the most.

“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:6 (NIV)

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”
Luke 16:10 (NIV)

Baby Steps: From 100 Steps to One Next Step

Back then, it was 100 steps from my sliding glass door to the Village Pantry. Today, following Jesus is still about counting steps - just in a different way. It’s less about how far I can go on my own and more about what happens when I take the next step with Him. Baby steps toward Jesus are never wasted, even if they feel painfully small.

Maybe your “apartment” right now looks like chaos too. Maybe your decisions have been compounding in the wrong direction, and your heart feels like that soaked carpet everyone avoids stepping on. You don’t have to fix everything overnight. You just have to take the next faithful step - call for help, be honest with God, open your Bible, text a friend, or simply whisper, “Jesus, I need You.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

A Follow Friday Invitation

All of that is why Follow Friday matters so much to me - because following Jesus happens right in the middle of real stories like this. On this Follow Friday, the invitation is simple:

• Follow Jesus in the baby steps, not just the big leaps.
• Trust that He can redeem every chapter, even the ones you’d rather hide.
• Believe that your life is being rebuilt brick by brick, decision by decision, with His love as the mortar holding it all together.

You don’t have to see the whole staircase. You only need enough light for the next step - and His word has promised to give you that.

“For we live by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

“You don’t have to rebuild everything today. Just place one more brick of obedience, one more baby step toward Jesus, and trust Him to turn your small yes into a whole new story.”

With love and sacred rhythm,
Eugene 💘

EugeniasThought: JMF💘

🎧 Frequency Feature: Heaven Is A Place On Earth

“Heaven Is a Place on Earth” echoes the tension this post sits in: life can feel like a soaked carpet and piled dishes, yet God keeps dropping little glimpses of His kingdom into our everyday moments. Just like the song imagines heaven breaking into ordinary life, this Follow Friday reminds us that each baby step with Jesus -right in the middle of our mess - becomes one more brick in making our corner of earth look a little more like heaven.

Weekly Editorial Rhythm

• Monday: Monday Morning Grace - a gentle start to the week with faith-centered encouragement
• Tuesday: Truth-Telling Tuesday - authentic reflections on living faith boldly
• Wednesday: The Midweek Mirror - a pause for spiritual reflection and self-compassion
• Thursday: Frequency Thursday - tuning into God's voice amid life's noise
• Friday: Follow Friday - exploring what it means to follow Jesus in everyday moments
• Saturday: Sacred Saturday - rest, reflection, and spiritual practices
• Sunday: Sunday Soul Food - nourishing reflections to ground your week ahead

Your Journey Starts Here

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There are still a few details unfolding, but trust that everything is aligning in its own time - and you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

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May you move at the pace of peace this week and trust the rhythm that is uniquely yours.