Small Beginnings…

Just a few quick thoughts tonight before bed, all arising from our Sunday School lesson yesterday.

First, a couple Scriptures, both from the New Living Translation.

Zechariah 4:10
¹⁰Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.

Matthew 13:31-32
³¹Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. ³²It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

I don’t know about you, but often times when God has laid things on my heart to do, the task has seemed so large that I haven’t really known where to begin. It’s not necessarily even that the task itself is necessarily huge, but sometimes simply because I see that the task has huge potential. Either way, I often find myself a bit overwhelmed… finding it hard to eat the proverbial entire elephant.

What to do?

Too often, I simply put off the task for a while, trying to figure out not only how to get my arms around the entire thing, but how to swallow the whole thing in one ginormous bite. The result? You’ve probably already guessed… I either become tired and frustrated with the amount of chewing required, and eventually spit it out in failure, or, in some cases… I struggle through to the end to find success. It’s not a futile effort ALL of the time, thankfully!

So what am I getting at? Certainly not that mode of attack for tackling God-given tasks.

Check out Matthew 13:31-32 and Zechariah 4:10 and be encouraged.

For God to be pleased, we don’t have to do everything all at once! Sometimes, we just have to start the work, tackling small items, bit by bit. We don’t have to do BIG things for God to be pleased. Moreso… often the little things in which we are faithful grow into something far bigger than we’d ever imagine!

Think about it. What events in your life have been most meaningful to your walk with Christ?

Odds are, they’re not big items. Maybe it’s simple words or notes of encouragement offered to you by a friend. Maybe it’s those few minutes spent in prayer each morning. Maybe it’s a single Scripture passage God has laid on your heart to remember. You tell me… what has it been in your life?

Little things make a huge difference. Be faithful in tiny tasks or small beginnings, and let God take care of the big stuff.