I was recently reading a book and came across a quote that grabbed me:
Every step is an arrival.
What the author meant is that it’s great to have goals. Aspirations.
But the problem is that we can be so consumed with the end game that we forget that every step we take is not just a means to a distant end. It’s the arrival at an end in itself. Even if a temporary one.
For example, if you’re an addict, the end goal is to be free of your addiction. And it should be. But every step you take on the way to that goal is itself an arrival at a desirable destination. And that’s because it’s a step further away from where you don’t want to be – engrossed in your addiction.
Or if you’re a pastor, you might have a goal to see your attendance double. And that’s great. But you also need to understand that when it increases by 10%, it’s something that’s worth celebrating in and of itself. Not just a number you have to go through to get to your goal.
Or in your walk with God, you’re not going to become C.S. Lewis overnight. Or Spurgeon. Or Piper. Or anyone else you look up to. And that’s because neither did they. Discipleship takes time. There’s never going to be a point where you’re not on the road to becoming more Christlike. But even in the slow process of becoming, every step you take towards Christ is a step away from what you were without Him.
I wonder if the reason so many people give up on their goals and aspirations is that in their lust to arrive at the end, they’re blind to the fact that they’re no longer at the beginning. And when they don’t get to the end quickly, they conclude it’s a fool’s errand. Or at least a task they’re not qualified to complete.
These people miss the truth we must grasp if we don’t want to give up:
Every step you take is a victory. A chance for celebration. A small goal that must be achieved before you can ever think about getting to the larger one.
Every step is an arrival.
