They tell us,
keep going.
Keep reaching.
Keep climbing.
Keep acquiring.
Keep pressing forward
as though every step backward
is a step lost.
But sometimes
the wisest thing you can do
is stop.
Stand still.
And look over your shoulder.
Because what if
the thing slowing you down
is not the mountain ahead,
but the string behind?
What if you have been pulling
and pulling,
thinking you were climbing,
when something unseen
has been pulling you downward?
Sometimes you must retreat
to regain your strength.
Retrace your steps
to find what you missed.
Retract your pride
and return to the place
where you once thought
you had nothing more to learn.
There are seasons
when you must stoop
before you can conquer.
Not because you are weak.
Because you are wise enough
to bend.
Wise enough to listen.
Wise enough to sit among those
you once thought were behind you
and discover that they carry
something you need.
There is no shame
in reaching downward
when your purpose
is still reaching upward.
Sometimes the lower place
becomes the classroom.
Sometimes the pause
becomes the preparation.
Sometimes the retreat
becomes the road.
And sometimes
what looks like going backward
is simply God giving you time
to untangle the string
that has been holding you down.
So I will not be ashamed
of the places where I stooped.
I will not despise
the seasons when I had to begin again.
For I have learned:
You do not always conquer
by climbing higher.
Sometimes,
You stoop to conquer.
By Joan A.Roberts
