I was talking with someone the other day who was at the end of their rope. Let’s call her Susie. Many issues had been piling up around Susie and it had become a situation in which she felt that she was drowning. A result of years of dysfunction, one bad decision led to another and another which culminated in an overwhelming situation.
Susie is not the first person who has felt this way and she won’t be the last. Maybe you feel like Susie. Maybe you are Susie.
After Susie shared her struggles with me, I felt somewhat helpless to helping her cause. Yet, after listening to her story, I knew there was a way out for her and it gave me hope for her. The good news is that there are steps she/we can take towards health and healing.
The situation Susie found herself in did not happen with one decision. It was a series of decisions she had made over a span of months or years that brought her to this place in time. The good news is that just as her journey into despair was a series of steps, her journey into hope is also a series of steps.
In our instant-fix society, we believe the lie that we need an all-in one answer that will solve everything. This kind of mindset trips us up and discourages us from the onset. I’ve adopted a phrase you may have read in one of my previous columns: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
We can apply the thought of “one step or bite at a time” to anything in life. While scrolling on social media one day, I read a helpful tip for better mental health: start with better sleep and nutrition. The tip didn’t address deep-rooted hurts, chemical imbalances or childhood trauma (which, of course, could be worked with over time). However, these were just a couple of simple suggestions to begin with that the person could begin to implement in their life. The first step to healing or improving something is to take the step. It does not need to be a mountain-moving idea or a big change. One simple step begins the process. Not only can we implement these techniques for a life gone crazy, we can implement them in paying off debt, renovating a house, losing weight, building back a relationship gone wrong, or training a dog or horse.
As you know, I often get in the decluttering mood in the early part of the calendar year. I believe consistency and taking small steps pertain to cleaning our homes, too. If you have clutter, you may be feeling anxiety or stress that is linked to having clutter. The way to clear the clutter is one bite at a time. Small renovations or updates can be done in the same manner. Our home is far from being renovated to the standards I would like, but I’ve chosen to embrace the present and have taken small steps over time to develop my skills such as painting, mudding, and sewing that have helped to update our home.
I want to encourage you to take steps forward; steps that will eventually take you to whatever your desire is. Let Galatians 6:9 sink in: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Your turnaround begins with that first small step.
Soon, you’ll look back to see how far you’ve come!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
