The Next Step

This morning I attended the Next Step Breakfast of our mission partner, Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington. The strategy of this ministry is to come alongside homeless and disadvantaged people so that, step by step, they can make progress toward healthier, more secure and productive lives. I am always moved to hear the stories of those who have rebuilt their lives through this combination of encouragement and support, challenge and accountability. Not all at once, of course, but step by step.

So it is with life. It's all about steps. Whatever our tax bracket or social status, whatever challenges or problems we face, whatever destructive habits or addictions we struggle to manage, whatever broken relationships and opportunities we have lost, whatever wreckage we have left behind us, the way forward is always the same - steps.

It seems so simple, doesn't it? Take a step, just a step in the right direction. Every wise mentor, counselor, pastor or priest knows the truth of it. That's all it takes. Steps.

There may be battles too big for us. Problems may seem insurmountable, obstacles immovable, consequences inescapable. Doors are locked and no one hears our pounding. The phone never rings and the letter never comes. Waiting turns to inertia and spirals towards hopelessness. The scenery never changes.

What can we do? The road is just too hard, the mountain too high, the river too wide.

Some do nothing, of course, while others sit around complaining about the gross unfairness of life. They bitch and moan about all those who have conspired to bring them down or keep them down. Playing the victim, they are certain life would be beautiful if they had just been given a fair shake. Life would be different, if only . . . .

Those who make it in life, those who overcome, those who find their way through and get where they're going, are those who learn the secret of steps, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other. Not leaps and bounds. Even baby steps can move us in the right direction.

The good folks of Samaritan Ministry have learned another vital secret about life. Steps are easier to take when we are walking side by side, hand in hand. Partners in the struggle, companions on the journey make all the difference. We can step boldly forward for we are not alone. Someone cares. Someone walks this path with me. Someone steadies me when I struggle. Someone catches me when I fall.

Steps. This is the path to progress, the hope of a future decidedly different from our past. Step by step, step by step together.