Small Steps Toward Wholeness

Carolyn Klejment-Lavin, MA, LPC/A, NCC

5/17/26

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sometimes we resist healing not because we don’t want peace, but because the path toward it seems too small, too simple, or too uncomfortable for the depth of our pain. I recently re-visited the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1–14, where we read of a commander suffering from leprosy. When the prophet Elisha instructed him to wash in the Jordan River seven times to heal him, Naaman initially became angry.

Naaman was suffering and desperate for healing, yet when Elisha offered him a path towards healing, he resisted. Perhaps the instruction seemed too small, too ordinary, maybe even too humiliating for the magnitude of his pain. He expected something dramatic. Instead, healing came through a simple act.

I think many of us can relate to that. Sometimes the small steps toward healing and shalom (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness, restoration) can feel almost insultingly small compared to what we are carrying. Take a few slow breaths when overwhelmed. Drink water. Go outside for five minutes. Reach out to a trusted friend. Allow yourself to laugh. Rest without guilt. Take a break from doomscrolling. Spend a few quiet moments with God. When grief, trauma, anxiety, or exhaustion feel overwhelming, these practices may seem too small or insignificant.

Yet research also reminds us that small things matter. Trauma-informed care teaches that small actions which increase a sense of safety and connection—like diaphragmatic breathing to support parasympathetic nervous system regulation, sensory comfort, movement, prayer, or safe relationships—help communicate safety to the nervous system. Those actions offer an alternative story to our bodies than one of hypervigilance and danger. Healing is typically not one dramatic breakthrough, but many small moments of safety, connection, and care repeated consistently over time.

Maybe today, think of moving towards healing as taking one small step forward. Consider how you may move the needle just a bit closer to shalom (wholeness) today. It may look like accepting one small invitation toward peace instead of resisting it because it feels too small to matter. May you feel God’s presence with you as you take small steps towards healing this week.