Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion adapted from Procrastinators Get Stuff Done by Dana K. White.
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Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. — Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Have you ever put something off for so long that simply thinking about it makes you tired?
Maybe it’s the email you need to send. The appointment you need to make. The conversation you need to have. The closet you need to clean out. The project you were excited about six months ago but still haven’t started.
At first, it was simply something you needed to do.
Then you didn’t do it.
And somewhere along the way, the task picked up all kinds of extra baggage: guilt, frustration, embarrassment, disappointment, and a running list of all the reasons you should have done it by now.
Suddenly, you aren’t just facing a task. You’re facing everything you believe your unfinished task says about you.
That’s a heavy place to start.
But what if God isn’t standing over you asking, Why haven’t you finished yet?
What if He is simply inviting you to take the next faithful step?
We tend to be impressed by big beginnings and dramatic transformations. We want the testimony with a clear before and after. We want to wake up motivated, change everything, and finally become the person who has it all together.
But Scripture is filled with a God who works through small things.
A shepherd boy carried five smooth stones.
A widow offered two small coins.
A little boy brought five loaves and two fish.
A mustard seed became Jesus’ picture of faith.
And when God’s people became discouraged while rebuilding the temple, He told them not to despise “small beginnings.”
God is not embarrassed by small. We often are.
We look at the distance between where we are and where we want to be, and the gap overwhelms us. We think that if we cannot do something impressive, complete, or perfectly, perhaps it isn’t worth beginning at all.
But faithfulness rarely looks impressive in the beginning. Sometimes faithfulness looks like opening the document, washing the first dish, or making the phone call you’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes it looks like praying, Lord, I don’t know how I’m going to do all of this. Show me what to do next.
Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread. Not bread for the next five years. Not enough bread to guarantee that nothing difficult will ever happen again. Just enough bread for today.
There is something freeing about remembering that God gives grace for the day we are actually living.
You do not have to finish tomorrow’s work today. You do not have to solve every problem before you begin addressing one of them. You do not have to wait until you feel completely confident, motivated, organized, or prepared.
You can ask God for wisdom for the step directly in front of you.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. — James 1:5 NIV
Notice those last three words: without finding fault.
When you come to God overwhelmed, He is not surprised that you need help.
When you come to Him after procrastinating, you haven't missed your opportunity to ask for wisdom.
And when you realize you should have started sooner, shame does not have to become one more obstacle standing between you and obedience today.
Conviction can move us toward God. Shame tells us to hide until we have somehow made ourselves worthy of approaching Him.
Jesus has already settled that question.
So instead of spending today replaying what you should have done yesterday, bring today to God.
Ask Him: What is mine to do right now?
Not everything. Not the entire project. Not the perfect five-year plan. Just the next faithful thing.
Maybe that step feels embarrassingly small. Take it anyway. Because small obedience is still obedience. Small progress is still progress. And small beginnings are still places where God is at work.
The apostle Paul reminds us:
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. — Philippians 2:13 NIV
- You are not working alone.
God can meet you at the beginning, in the messy middle, and at the finish line. He can give wisdom when you don’t know what to do, strength when you don't feel like doing it, and grace when your progress looks much slower than you hoped.
You may not be able to do everything today. But with God’s help, you can do the next thing. And then, when the time comes, the next.
Prayer
Lord, You know the things I’ve been avoiding and the overwhelm I feel when I think about them. Quiet the shame, fear, and perfectionism that keep me stuck. Give me wisdom to see what You have placed in front of me today, and give me courage to begin. Help me be faithful in small things, trusting You with everything I cannot accomplish at once. Thank You that I do not have to have everything figured out before I take the next step with You. Amen.
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Adapted with permission from Procrastinators Get Stuff Done by Dana K. White.
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Your Turn
What is one thing you’ve been avoiding because the whole of it feels overwhelming? Instead of asking yourself how you’re going to finish everything, ask God a smaller question today: Lord, what is the smallest, most faithful thing I can do next? Then do that one thing completely. And when you do, resist the temptation to dismiss it because it was small. Thank God for the grace to begin. ~ Devotionals Daily