Small Beginnings Lead to Big Victories!
Yesterday, the bathrooms had to be scrubbed.
Tomorrow is laundry day so tomorrow night is dedicated to ironing.
Mr. 4-Ever wants to eat again today,
which means grocery shopping and more cooking.
Just to be clear,
this is not how I prefer to spend my days.
I want to pray, study, and worship God.
I want to teach Bible study to women who love and/or need Jesus.
I want to write great talks to deliver to women desperate for Good News.
I want to create captivating books for women to read
so they can be inspired and energized and reengage with God.
But here I am …
cooking, cleaning, and ironing.
Doing the ordinary stuff.
Doing the boring stuff.
Doing the familiar stuff.
There’s a little verse in Zechariah 4:10 that says,
“Do not despise these small beginnings,
for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,
to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Zerubbabel,
a descendant of King David,
was chosen to lead some 60,000 exiles back to Jerusalem
to rebuild the temple after King Cyrus of Persia overthrew the Babylonians
and allowed the Israelites to return to Judah.
The workers built their homes and planted their gardens.
Then they got to work on the altar and foundation of the new temple.
Work progressed rapidly, but the building process faltered
when grumbling, deception and fear gripped the workers.
Construction of the temple stopped for 16 years!
Is that what happens with your
Big dreams?
Big goals?
Big plans?
I’m not talking so much about your bucket list but
I’m wondering about the big call on your life.
That thing that makes you hopping mad or
brings you to tears or
makes your heart beat faster
when you think and talk about it.
You have a vision to change the world
or at least your corner of it, but
you get interrupted
by unexpected pregnancies and
babies who need changing and
toddlers who need training and
teens who need redirection and
your neighbor who needs a jump
and your house that needs cleaning and
and your marriage that needs a spark of romance and …
The work on your vision STOPS.
We lose momentum when we encounter resistance.
We begin to complain and grumble.
We falter when the tasks become hard or mundane.
Fear of failure, rejection, and judgement seizes us.
Zerubbabel got a fresh start when
God partnered him with Zechariah and Haggai.
Together, they reenergized the workers and dispelled their fears.
After a fresh start,
the whole temple was completed in four years!
Does your big dream/goal/project need to be reignited?
Don’t be discouraged by the distractions of life.
The neigh sayers.
The slow starts or the
interruptions of your everyday.
You can hear God’s excitement about Zerubbabel getting back to work in Zechariah 4:10b,
“… for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,
to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
If you got derailed or
detained or
distracted or
even temporarily
disinterested,
Don’t despair.
It’s not too late for you to get back to work on that dream/goal/plan.
Small beginnings lead to big victories!
Your child raised well.
Your business flourishing.
Your book completed.
Your home renovated.
Your church revived.
There is no shame in starting again … and again.
Keep giving yourself fresh starts until you have
accomplished your
big dream/goal/plan.
I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Tell me in the comments below.
Scripture Refresher: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:10-11 (NIV)
Prayer: Father, you know what you made me to do and you put this big dream, goal or plan in me. Help me to partner with you to bring it to life. Amen
Confidentially speaking. Need to move boxes into attic. House needs revamping project as you discussed above. God bless you. I am learning so much. You are very knowledgeable.
Well-said, Robyn. I am having a hard time with bots being off for the summer disciplining myself to work…..the talks, the research, the books I want to write.
God has been kind and kept my pace slow but still giving me experience with both speaking and my writing.
Now for me to have the endurance, like you said, to keep starting again or keep working at something that should have all ready been done.
Thank you for your words. May they help many!
I’m working on homeschooling all three of my adoptive children, whom we adopted only 4 short years ago and are now 7, almost 8, and almost 10 years old. I currently have my two oldest children at home and this year I have pretty much lost heart in homeschooling them and have already committed to bringing my youngest home next year. The books I ordered just arrived this week which was a wonderful energy boost but also a reminder of what a completely and overwhelmingly tall order this is going to be to accomplish!
I’m also working on making my house a home for all of us and getting our entire family into a manageable and comfortable routine. It’s not as easy as it sounds! I’m a person who gets bored easily with routine. I don’t like doing the same thing at the same time every day. It’s not exciting or interesting and I get bored. But I’m trying to look at it from a fresh perspective and view it as a challenge (because I LOVE a challenge!) It’s also not easy because my oldest rails against routine. As much as he loves it, my oldest also disdains it because a routine holds him accountable to complete his responsibilities, which he fights everyday to NOT do. Accountability, responsibility, and respect are something we are desperately trying to instill in him and seem to be getting nowhere fast. (Another reason I’ve been losing heart).
So I guess you could say I’m in the midst of my big work. I don’t have a book or a website or a business that I’m trying to start. My home, my husband and my kids are my business and really need to be at this moment.
Goodness, Jennifer, indeed you are in the midst of your big thing. It was really as I was wrapping up my mommy job that I realized I didn’t have a plan for what was next. I love my speaking and writing ministry, but it came second to being a wife and mom. There are seasons for everything and it sounds like you have chosen well. 🙂
Just an idea about parenting, have you read Dr. Thomas Phelps 1,2,3 Magic. Good stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Magic-Effective-Discipline-Children/dp/0963386190
Blessings on all you do!
I am trying to work on writing a daily devotional. However, I am afraid. Afraid people will think it’s poorly written. Afraid I don’t have a good enough understanding of scripture. Afraid. And it just seems that life keeps getting in my way. I don’t want to take time away from my family.
Hey Carrie, I understand that! Don’t let fear keep you from doing what God has called you to!
I’m sure your content is great, maybe you could have someone help you edit it. We ALL need editors!
Look for writing groups in your area, or go to a writers conference. There’s a really good one coming up in July in Grand Rapids, MI.
It’s called the Speak Up Conference http://speakupconference.com Check it out. Maybe it’s the jump start you need. There will be great coaches and editors as well as many many new writers like yourself. I go every year.