Psalm 119:105 (NKJV): "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."

One of the unique and fascinating aspects of hiking during the winter is seeing all of the animal and human tracks in the snow. On the positive side, it's often common and helpful to follow in other people's footsteps. On the negative side, sometimes the compressed snow from previous hiker footprints turns into ice. As a result, the trail becomes very slippery. You have to avoid their steps, and hike along the fringe of the trail where the traction is better. Other times, previous hikers can lose the trail altogether. If you naively follow in their footsteps, you can unknowingly go off the trail and stumble into unexpected trouble. When hiking in the snow, the most important thing is to follow the tried-and-true blazes on the trees.   

In the working world, there are moments when following in the footsteps of management, co-workers, customers or suppliers can become very slippery. Sometimes you definitely do NOT want to follow in their footsteps, because they've taken steps that are unethical, deceptive, manipulative, illegal and ultimately harmful to themselves, you and others.   

No matter how cold and icy the working world becomes, obey the trail blazes of God's Word. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and not of businesspeople who deliberately mislead, misrepresent and manipulate. Doing what's right will keep your conscience and your testimony clean. In God's way and time, He will bless you for your integrity.      

Let’s think about and discuss these questions:

1. Have you ever had an experience of getting into trouble by following the wrong "footsteps"? How did you eventually get out of it?

2. In life and in the workplace, how can you identify the footsteps you should follow and the ones you should avoid?

3. How can you remind yourself to always focus on God's Word and follow His guidance every day at work?