The other day, I was thinking about what I call the key to life. Or at least the key to my life. Please note that everyone is different—we all have unique fingerprints for a reason—so know that what works for one person may not work for everyone. But if you want to find your key, there’s no shortcut: you have to do the hard work and go within to discover it.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me get back to what I was saying. I was thinking about my personal key to life and how, for the longest time, I avoided it. It was hard, it was a long process, it was tedious—it was not fun! But once I finally leaned into it, or should I say, was worn down until I finally leaned into it… lol, I realized it was the best way to navigate life for me.
Of course, it all started with a dream—those damn dreams get me every time! I had a dream, and in it, I heard a scripture from the Bible that says, “I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little, I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.”
So when I woke up and looked up the passage, I didn’t have a very spiritual-like reaction. In fact, I was sad and mad. I read that scripture over and over, I read the scriptures that preceded it and followed it, hoping it meant something different. You see, I was in what felt like the worst season of my life. I was fighting tooth and nail just to keep my head above water, and to get a dream that said anything other than “I’m getting ready to bring you out, and everything is about to overflow with abundance”—well, that was devastating. I didn’t want to hear about “little by little.” I wanted all of mine now, and what is this about the beasts of the field becoming too numerous for me? If this is about holding them back so it's not overwhelming, then shut it all down now, because life is fighting back and it’s beating my azz.
Yep, I said all of that and more. I couldn’t fathom continuing the journey like I was—fighting through this dark period with the promise that it would get better “little by little.”
But baybeee, let me tell you, through my spiritual walk, I learned that doing things little by little is often the best way—for so many reasons. I think my turnaround didn’t happen until about five or eight years later... I know, I know. The times were dark, y’all! But like many others, the pandemic was a time of clarity and spiritual growth. For me, my breakthrough came in physical form.
I wanted to get out of the house, and in California, they had closed down a lot of public spaces. I didn’t have a patio at the time, so I would walk around my block a few times since there was nowhere else to sit. Eventually, I didn’t want to go back inside quite yet, so I extended my walk. At some point, I wanted to run. I had a lot of built-up energy with nowhere to release it, and I needed to get it out. So, I started running.
Over a month, my walk around the block turned into a 3-mile run/walk around my neighborhood! This is the key moment in my life that I always refer back to when dealing with any significant life event. It represents how sometimes growing little by little is better because it allows you to slowly build strength, endurance, and the ability to handle the difficulties that come with starting something new.
Now, whenever a challenge presents itself—or even when I simply want to do something that requires change—I think about where I want to be and how I envision the end result. From there, I think about what is the minimal I can convince myself to do consistently. I just tell myself, “Do this, and if you don’t want to do more, that will be fine.”
It’s crazy how the mind and body adapt to whatever the spirit decides. And it’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you take on things little by little. Those beasts of the field? Yeah, they can be conquered if you face them one at a time. But if you try to take on everything all at once, the growth, the abundance, and the spiritual attack that comes with the fight to obtain what is yours, it can be spiritually devastating. Sometimes, you fight so hard for something, finally get it, and realize that you’ve used up all your spiritual strength in the battle. Then, you have nothing left for yourself to enjoy the fruitfulness. Or maybe you have just enough to live in the abundance, but you’re mentally spent. You might not have the mental capacity to maintain it or stay consistent. That’s when you can burn out—not just from the battle, but from the responsibility of keeping it.
The journey isn’t a checklist that you check off and then you’re done. It’s a lifestyle—one that’s continuous from day to day. It’s about receiving abundance, maintaining balance, and fighting for internal peace.
My key to life, and my ability to journey through it, is doing things little by little. So, don’t try to bite off more than you can chew just to say you finished. Instead, tap in and see what’s the best way to handle each situation. Even if it isn’t ideal, it might be the best way to do it, and to do it with peace.
Love you lots!
– Sacred
Comments