I have a change jar on my nightstand. Every night before bed, as I am emptying my pockets, I throw any spare change I have in the jar. I don’t have change every day because I don’t use cash every day. Like many people I use a debit card for most transactions, so I would say I put change in that jar once a week, maybe twice at most. After a few years, it had finally filled to the brim and my jar quite literally “runneth over”, so last week we converted it into cash. Surprisingly enough the grand total was 219 dollars! It always amazes me how a seemingly insignificant amount, over enough time, turns into a noticeable return. With time, small things really can produce big results. Just think of the mustard seed!
Even though we love to see big results in life, we rarely appreciate all the small steps it takes to get there. In fact, we tend to despise the small things. We want to learn how to play guitar, or build a house, or learn a foreign language, but we just want to fast forward to the part where we already know how to do it. We don’t want to start small and claw our way slowly up. We see a beautiful wood carving and we want to sit down and become a master carver instead of starting with a simple spoon. But God delights in the little things. Zechariah 4:10 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.”
You see, when the exiles of Israel returned, the rebuilding of the temple began under the leadership of Zerubbabel. They dreamed of restoring the temple to its former glory, as Solomon’s temple was a wonder to behold, but looking at the measly foundations of this new sanctuary discouraged the elders among them. They had beheld the finished masterpiece, so these new, small beginnings seemed so very insignificant and incomparable.
Ezra 3:10-13 describes how when the builders laid these foundations, some came forward with trumpets and cymbals, praising and giving thanks to God, but many of “the old men who had seen the first house wept with a loud voice…so that people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping”. God says not to despise the day of small things. He can see the end result of what all those little steps are becoming, and he delights in them.
Maybe you hear others with such a great knowledge of scripture you are inspired to want to be like them, but you get discouraged and it seems impossible when you look at what they have compared to where you’re starting. Big results come from a long series of small, deliberate steps.
So, while we tend to despise a small beginning, and while it may seem insignificant, start with dedicating even 30 minutes a week to bible study, and 30 minutes a week to prayer. That may seem like mighty small change, but if you aren’t already doing something, it’s a whole lot better than nothing! If you just get started you will be amazed at what God can do in your life, and to your faith, with those small steps. You can grow from there and start adding more time as you go. I’m sure of two things…all that change adds up, and God delights in seeing you begin!
–Josh Yates