Small Beginnings

Small Beginnings

“Big things have small beginnings.”

T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)

Small Beginnings

A beautiful rose blooms from a small bud

How often do you stop yourself from pursuing your dream, or dreams, because it is  too daunting? Have you ever wanted to do a project in your house but there’s so much to do to get it done that you don’t even start? It’s a common theme, but starting with the small things usually build into something big. Let me give you some examples.

I have saved change in a jar for years and then rolled and deposited it into the bank when the jar was full. Over the past couple of years I’ve simply let it grow. I now have over $900 in my savings (gaining, I believe, twelve cents of interest a year – ridiculous – but that’s another story). It amazes me.

When my husband and I had been married a few years, we did the same thing and ended up buying an old beat up truck with the change we’d saved (we were kind enough to deposit the money first and write a check and just not hand over a sack full of coins to the owner).

The same concept has saved me from being overwhelmed and throwing my hands up in the air when it comes to my house and yard. I have a fairly big yard and house. I used to look at everything I had to do and stress out, often to the point of, as I said before, throwing my hands up in the air.

Small Beginnings

I would often tackle a room and get it done but, when I saw everything else that had to be done, I would feel like I’d done nothing. So, I changed the way I did things. I started to do parts of projects (not like painting or anything like that) and cleaning as I had time and saw what needed to be done. I still do the whole room cleaning, too, but I feel better because I know I’ve tackled other things that needed to be done and they weren’t all staring me in the face.

The same is true when it comes to being and becoming a Christian. So often people say things like, “God wouldn’t want me. I’ve done too many bad things and the way I live isn’t good enough.” They believe that they have to have it all together BEFORE they give their hearts to Jesus. It’s the wrong answer. There are so many things in all of our lives that we  need to change (news flash – not one person on earth is perfect). None of us can make all the changes on our own. Some things we would never even realize needed to be changed unless the Holy Spirit spoke to our hearts and revealed them to us. But He doesn’t just tell us to change, He guides us and tells us how to do things differently, with His love guiding us instead of giving us a huge “to do” list.

We change and grow in our faith and walk with Jesus by small beginnings. As we keep seeking Him and learning, those small beginnings turn into big things. As our hearts change, we become more like Him and we are able to make more and more of a difference in the world.

Being a Christian comes down to being willing to humble ourselves and admit that we can’t do it on our own. We have to be willing to be different and be open to changing according to His leading and not our own.

Being a Christian begins with one commitment and many small changes over time. Being a Christian is the greatest example of big things having small beginnings.

~ Joanna Lynn

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