He was 31-year old minister, perhaps on a trip to preach and coax hearers onward and upward. That much could be said of Thomas Jefferson Shelton, Jr., but little more. Where was he when he penned the words “One Step at a Time”? A question mark is the only answer, though we could surmise how he was feeling, or that his words voiced the emotions of others at the time. These were sentiments that he’d probably heard or seen expressed on countless faces in his travels, when he was communicating something transcendent to crowds who otherwise might have walked away feeling despondent. How does one keep taking steps, instead of laying down in misery? That seems to be the drift of Thomas’ poem, with a conclusion that he indicates has but one image – heavenly mansions (perhaps something not too different from the one shown here, an English country house called Harlaxton Manor, in Lincolnshire) that the believer aims to inherit.
Thomas Shelton was born in 1849 in Kentucky and died some 80 years later in Colorado, so was it somewhere between those two states where he spent much of his time, including in 1880 when he was thinking about steps? He reportedly spent more than a decade as an evangelist – in other words, his objective was to convert individuals to the Christian faith – including the year when ‘One Step…’ was composed. The exact location may be unknown, but Thomas may have seen something that he thought was a common thread over those many years and in all those places – despair and a vacant feeling among those he met. These might have been people who needed a reason to press on, whose hearts needed what he had to say. Could his words may have been theirs, ‘….flesh…so weak and hopeless’ (v.1), with ‘…faltering feet’ (v.3), people full of ‘fear’ (v.4)? As an expositor of the bible from which he preached, and the beliefs he’d accepted, Thomas undoubtedly was duty-bound to tell hearers that faith in Christ was not something one could physically see or touch in this life. So, much of his poem tells of ‘…know(ing) not what is before’ (v.1), of ‘…not walking by sight’ (v.2), admissions that would discourage those who wanted something tangible. And yet, Thomas tells them that taking ‘one step’ more is the only way to progress, to grow in faith and hope. You won’t get more than that, he tells them. At least, you won’t arrive at a different reality until you hear Him, the ‘dear Savior’, at the last. And, appropriately so, that last reality is articulated in Thomas’ last few words of his final verse.
The Savior’s voice, His words, created in the beginning all that I can see. And, He will be all that you and I need in the end. There is debate over whether an actual mansion awaits each believer, or instead if it will be just a great room (according to various bible translations). He’s capable of providing either of those, but should I even desire that? Why does Jesus even mention that word (John 14:2)? Could it be that He saw on 1st Century faces the same weary expressions that Thomas Shelton did 18 centuries later? And so, he bestows on us a promise of a beautiful home. It’s not the home, but the presence of Him we all seek. The stunning abode will just be what happens to come with this God, an expression of His love and goodness. He can do anything, present any gift, save and reward believers in any way He chooses. You got a God who can do all that?
See here for all the song’s verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/o/n/e/s/one_step.htm
Very brief biographic information on the author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/h/e/l/shelton_tj.htm
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