Article July 1, 1991 Issue

Living by littles

Bringing God's healing power into our lives does not require some impossible effort. One step at a time will do.

Robert Eliot Lovett

I Enjoy mountain climbing and backpacking. When I first began hiking, the summit was my only goal. Sometimes I made it; sometimes I did not. One day it was a pleasure; the next day it was not. In fact, sometimes the climb was exceptionally difficult and unrewarding. I prayed to understand what I was missing. It did not seem that I should experience an overburdening sense of failure or hardship if this activity were really right. As I prayed, the answer came quickly and simply: I needed to change my focus. Even though the goal was important, in this situation I needed to pay more attention to the journey itself, recognizing I would get there one step at a time.

I now find opportunities to express patience and humility in my climbs, knowing that my strength comes from God—to be more considerate of others, more unselfish in helping them have an enjoyable time. I focus on the quality of the experience of getting there by expressing, in practical ways, more of the true, spiritual qualities we each inherently possess as the child of God.

Whatever the challenge—mountaintop, career goal, healing an illness, family relationships—we can make progress one step at a time; we can get there by littles. The truths of Christian Science, realized and practiced in one's daily life, effectively lead us step by step upward and onward in a rewarding demonstration of progress.

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