One Step (Part II)
- Dericka Canada Cunningham
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 14 hours ago
Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
February 2, 2026
This Week's Anchor
“He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.””
Matthew 17:20-21 (NIV)
I’m excited to continue our conversation from last week on moving with and toward God in faith. Considering the joy I felt last week after writing and sharing my story, it’s evident that divinely-orchestrated movement was just what I needed all along. What better time than this first week of Black History Month to return to a concept our ancestors knew all too well and graciously passed down through generations: the willingness to journey with God in trust, even when the path seems unclear and terrifying.
As my daughter and I left church service this Sunday, the song “Stand Up” from the movie Harriet appeared on my playlist. The timing felt just right for this song to play, and as my daughter and I listened and sang along, I began to sense the warmth of relief and encouragement well inside of me. Truth be told, as quickly as I experienced joy at the start of last week, the work week came with challenge as I processed the never-ending sociopolitical events of our nation and world, while also navigating my professional space as a Black woman therapist trying very hard to balance speaking truth to power without flipping a table like Jesus, holding space for the clients that need it the most, and somehow still preserving and caring for myself, my family, and my community. Simply put, getting to Sunday was a feat. Nevertheless, as the lyrics flowed through my spirit, my body relaxed.
“So I'm gonna stand up
Take my people with me
Together we are going
To a brand new home
Far across the river
Can you hear freedom calling?
Calling me to answer
Gonna keep on keepin' on”
With each word, I thought more about Harriet Tubman and wondered if her inner world felt anything like mine. I pondered on the depth of conviction she must’ve had on her voyage to freedom. I wasn’t there to know her story personally, but reflecting on our anchor scripture, I consider Sis. Harriet to be a mountain-moving kinda woman. And I couldn’t help but imagine the way that hope expanded within her and among those who followed as she sowed seeds of faith with each step she took. Freedom required her hope, and hope depended on her faith in motion.
With the inspirations of Sis. Harriet, Rev. Dr. King, Jr., my mama, grandmama’s, aunties, elders, and even my own recent moment with God, I’ve come to realize that faith doesn’t stop at feeling or believing; it’s evident in our actions. The message in our anchor scripture highlights this. To provide more context, this message came after Jesus spent a long time with the disciples, performing several miracles and, ultimately, revealing His divine glory (vs. 1-13). With all that Jesus had done and shown, the disciples still doubted the power of Jesus’ presence, which led to him clocking the disciples regarding their lack of faith (vs. 17-20). The disciples knew Jesus could heal a demon-possessed man, but they did not have faith that their proximity to Jesus could allow them to. As much as we might judge the disciples who were physically present alongside Jesus and still struggled to trust their abilities through His presence, some of us struggle in the same way.
Like the disciples, we may witness and believe in the general power of Jesus, but we lack trust in that power to work through us. Our scripture and this Divine message remind us that the more we move with God in trust, the more God can do through us. And the more God does through us, the more we trust God and His ability to move through us when we move with Him. That was a mouthful, and in your case, an eyeful. To illustrate it another way, when we take even a small step of faith toward God and/or His calling, it’s as if we are placing a mustard seed in God’s hands. God takes our tiny mustard seeds of faith and plants them, and with continued prayer and connection to God (and to a community of other folks encouraging us in God), those seeds grow into trees of hope that eventually bear fruits of purpose.
Despite the metaphorical beauty of what I just shared, the powerful words of Jesus Himself, and the inspirational wisdom of Sis. Harriet and Rev. Dr. King, Jr., it is not lost on me that taking that first step in faith can be incredibly hard. Sometimes what makes movement challenging is outside of us, and other times our barriers come from within. To keep it a buck, sometimes our biggest ‘mountain’ is…ourselves. The story I shared last week is a great example of this. Reflecting on my experience, I can honestly say that I got in my own way. Like the disciples, I (mis)perceived the process and outcome of what I felt called to do in that moment as dependent on my own capacity and capabilities rather than on God’s, and this overwhelmed me. So, how do we move through doubt, fear, and ourselves, so that we can move in faith and shift even bigger mountains?
Here is the process that ultimately led to movement for me and might be helpful for you:
I paused—As we are feeling called to move in any direction, we can, understandably, become overwhelmed with anxiety and worry. We can be triggered, old baggage and stuff can get kicked up, and before we know it, we are spiraling. Before we can do anything, we have to first catch ourselves in (or ideally, before) the spiral. This requires self-attunement, compassion, and a willingness to slow down.
I made space—I quickly realized that I would never approach this new chapter of GBW if my schedule was overbooked and I was overwhelmed. So, what helped me slow down was making room, first for myself (i.e., clearing my schedule), and then for the work (i.e., scheduling intentional time for me to approach GBW contentment, planning, and time with God).
I set the tone—After I paused and made space, I needed to enter the space I had created to approach the work God had led me to do, but I knew I needed some inspiration. So, I queued up some motivational music, did a brief meditation, and began praying to ground myself and set the atmosphere.
I started where I was—I tried to focus on starting rather than finishing the task at hand, and I was realistic about what I could achieve. I first focused on small tasks to help me prepare for larger ones.
I left the questions and uncertainty to God—I went into the space of preparing and planning with the mindset that I wasn’t responsible for answering the questions, I was only responsible for asking them. I asked God for direction when I needed clarity, and if I still felt uncertain, I jotted down my thoughts and ideas with the plan to return to them later.
Whatever the move, know that you are not alone. Not only do you have the powerful presence of the Holy Trinity and the stories and legacy of our ancestors, but I can assure you there are plenty of folks in this community and beyond who are alongside you in a season of movement and realignment. In fact, I’ve been inspired recently by some of my close colleagues and friends for their trust in God’s pivot and direction. So, whether you are being called to start a new job, end working altogether, go to or back to school, change careers, start a ministry (or elevate one), join an organization, move to a new location, take your health/mental health more seriously, evolve your social circle, connect with radical rest, set boundaries, build bridges, say yes, say no and/or more…Make the first step, place the seed, and God will do the rest.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from yourself and from the Holy Trinity to help you move toward God’s calling?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Re-read last week’s scriptures with fresh eyes, asking for God’s illumination of what is meaningful for you…
Tuesday: Psalm 23
Wednesday: Proverbs 3:5-6
Thursday: Jeremiah 17:7-8
Friday: Isaiah 41:10
Saturday: Luke 1:37
Sunday: Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 3:20
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Harriet Tubman