A story is told of a boy riding on a train with his shoe untied. A passenger on the train, in a kind gesture, pointed it out to the boy, and the boy nodded but did nothing. After a few minutes passed, the passenger said again, “Your shoe is untied; I would not want you to trip.” The boy said thank you, but did nothing in response. As they both got ready to depart at their stop, the passenger noticed that the boy’s shoe was still untied. As the boy stepped from the train he stepped on his shoelace and fell flat on his face. The passenger quickly helped him up and asked, “Why didn’t you tie your shoe?” To which the boy replied, “No one ever taught me how.” (See All the People by Junius B. Dotson) As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege and responsibility to equip and empower others to grow in Christ. Let us encourage one another to take the next step of faith. Being followers of Jesus and maturing as his disciples is a life-long journey.
