Not that it ever gets any credit, but no one ever got anywhere without starting out on Square One. Even so, it’s when some future square—whether square three or square thirty—turns out to be a dead end, that Square One gets mentioned–and then, as a place to go back to. It may seem like an admission of failure, a place of frustration, wasted effort, and disappointment.
Square One never gets recognized as the beginning place for all those ventures that never encountered starting-all-over kinds of setbacks, those that just led onward and upward to the prize. And yet, without first having stood on Square One and stepping boldly onto square two, and so on, no one would ever get anywhere.
And even when Square One gets mentioned because you’re back on it again, it deserves appreciation, not resentment. It’s the ground from which you get up, dust yourself off, and get right back on the horse. It’s the dawn of a new day, bright with promise and new possibilities. It’s where Edison stood some 3,000 or so times before he finally got his lightbulb right. Its banner reads, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” It’s made of stubborn, persistent, resilient stuff, stable enough to step onto as many times as it takes, but not so comfortable that you want to stay there.
In Genesis, there’s a story of the Creator going back to Square One with humanity—the story of the Great Flood. In the Gospels, there’s a story of a son who walked the path of repentance back to Square One with his father—the story of the Prodigal Son. And the gospel story is all summed up in the promise of the ultimate Square One, called the new birth.
So, whenever you start something new, look at the ground you stand on. Appreciate where you are. Give thanks for that beginning. See Square One as a valuable resource that is letting you get on your way, whether for the first time or the umpteenth time. And leave on good terms. You might need to find yourself there again.
Garry Breland 