Have you ever tried tightening a screw that gets mis-threaded? You have to back it out before you can go again. When you’ve got it lined up and balanced, it will go in easily. Life is like that, especially as we listen to God and try to act on what we’re hearing. Often following the Spirit means taking what looks like a step backward to us. It can feel like the old ‘one step forward two steps back’ shuffle, but when we’re following the Spirit it’s not. It’s actually one step back to better align ourselves to move forward. You’ve heard the great adage, “don’t despise small beginnings.” That’s so true. And let’s add to that: don’t despise the step back. Follow the Spirit, even backwards. When we do, we find we’re gathering our footing to move forward.