Small Beginnings

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

Zech 4:10

When I decided to follow what felt like God’s calling to start a blog of my life loves, it felt more than just a little overwhelming.  Starting a blog is NOT something I would have desired on my own, but sometimes God guides us to bigger and better plans for us than we can imagine.  Venturing out into a social media project I knew very little about was quite uncomfortable yet I kept researching, digging, and finding examples and leads on how to accomplish this task.  One small step at a time.  And where exactly do we start with a new blog?  With small beginnings.  God takes pleasure in the initiation of his work and he asks that we trust him even when we don’t know where he is leading us or how we are getting there.   I guess all great endeavors start with small beginnings.  We have to take those first few, purposeful steps whether it’s starting something big like a business, new job, or an important project or something less serious like getting taxes done, planning a garden, or cleaning out the garage. 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked and answered the question, “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time”.  This proverb is a great reminder that we can overcome daunting tasks by taking small steps forward then keep… on… going.  In the old testament God spoke through the prophet Zechariah (4:10) to a man named Zerubbabel and others who were trying to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after being exiled.  The temple they were trying to build was much smaller than the previous one, leading some to be discouraged.  But God takes pleasure in the humble beginnings, the daily habits, the small progress and the initial steps that ultimately lead to completion of something good. 



Spring is the ultimate time of seeing small beginnings in nature.  The first buds on trees, the tulips and daffodils that push their way through the dirt, the first croaks of the spring peepers in ponds.  They are all reminders of bigger and better things to come.  So today, do not despise your small starts.  Offer your time and work, however small or large, to God and he will bless your efforts.