A Shovel at a Time

One day, some time ago, my teenage daughter came bounding into the house, breathless and with a huge smile,  "Mom," she said, "I heard the best quote today. Do you want to hear it?"  After an amused nod from me at her obvious eagerness, she repeated the words, "By the yard, it's hard, but inch by inch, it's a cinch."  She was even more thrilled to find that I had actually heard the quote before.  I had to chuckle inside at her enthusiasm for a quote that for me had lost its appeal after being repeated so often over the years.  I had to wonder how at the age of 15 she had somehow missed hearing these simple words.  To her this quote was completely amazing and had even sparked in her a new wonder and zest for life.

I've thought about this quote since then. The message given is straightforward, but valuable.  If we try to solve a really big problem all at once, it may seem impossible at times, but if we break it down into little pieces the problem becomes much easier to overcome, bit by bit.  

Photo Courtesy of Oleksandros via Flickr

I am reminded of an experience I had a few years ago.  My husband was just recovering from an unexpected heart attack.  We'd had an especially large amount of snow that year, just like this year.  After several large storms, there was literally a mountain of snow on both sides of the driveway, but there was also a mountain of snow in front of the mailbox due to repeated passes by the snow plows.  We'd received a message from the postal service telling us that we needed to clear the area around the mailbox in order for the mail to be delivered.  I remember looking at that mountain of snow and ice that was almost as tall as me and wondering how in the world was I ever going to be able to move it.  I was tired from taking care of five kids and a husband.  I'd already been shoveling snow for days and was really sore.  The task seemed especially daunting to someone who was definitely not the epitome of upper body strength, but I knew this was my mountain to move.  There was just no one else to move it.  I remember thinking of the Lord's words about faith and moving mountains.  His words encouraged me because I knew then like I know now that we don't have to have the faith to move mountains all at once, we only need to have the faith to move mountains a shovel at a time. Eventually after many shovelfuls, some large and some wimpy, I was able to shovel my mountain down to nothing. 

All of us have challenges in life, some as large as mountains, but they all can be overcome a shovel or an inch at a time.  Whatever the challenge may be, whether it be weight-loss, debt, addiction, or depression, we just need to have the faith to take one shovel and then another until our "mountain" is removed.  If the shovel seems too heavy, we can break down our challenges into even smaller bits if we need to. 

A wise man, Garth Toone, once said, "I have learned that success is often measured in millimeters... Rather than expecting miracles overnight, I have learned to repeat the words, 'Have I done any good in the world today?' and if so, count that as success."

Sometimes our progress does come in millimeters, but even if we are working in millimeters we are moving in the right direction and we are bringing good to the world.  Louisa May Alcott has said, "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.  I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."  

Let us set our sights on our own aspirations!  Let us follow where they lead, bit by bit.  We can do it!  Someday our "mountains" will be removed with a little faith, a shovel at a time.