Original version:
Take one step towards God and hell take ten towards you.
Anna told me she learned this proverb from one of her teachers at an all-girls Catholic school in Sandusky, Ohio. The saying was common throughout the school and she said it was hard to tell where it had originated from because it had been passed around the school for years. The teachers would consistently say it to students that they felt were struggling in their walks of faith. After hearing the proverb in her freshman year of high school, she felt it was very inspirational and has been using it ever since.
Anna thinks this quote has to do with Gods desire to become close to her. If she just put a little effort into understanding and becoming closer with God, God would put a lot of effort into understanding Anna. She said this quote did help her in her faith during times where she doubted God.
I think this quote has more than just religious implications. It is hard to quantify what one step towards God is or what it feels like when he takes ten steps towards you, but this proverb can be applied to many things. It is generally known that the first step or initial task is often the hardest. Once the job is started, the rest doesnt seem so hard.
In an additional note, I grew up in a religious family with a fairly religious background myself and I find it interesting that I have never heard this quote or anything similar. It seems to be a quote that would be popular among Sunday school teachers and the such.