Small Beginnings
Whenever I am called upon to preach I am always wary of the fact that whatever message God calls me to give to his people, he will be speaking it equally as loudly to my own heart and my ability to listen is far more important than my ability to speak. I find the same to be true in writing these blogs. Though I plan out each blog series far in advance, it never ceases to amaze me how the topic of each week will deeply resonate with the work the Holy Spirit is doing in my own heart and life. I have found this to be especially true this week. Today we are continuing our blog series through Zechariah 4 by looking at another widely quoted phrase from this seemingly obscure passage. It simply says, “For who dares make light of small beginnings?” (Zechariah 4:10). A question to which I answer, “I do.”
Truth be told, I make light of small beginnings. I am an impatient person by nature. I do not wait well and I struggle to live fully in the present moment. I make light of small beginnings both because of their seeming insignificance, but also because they are beginnings which means something will follow. I almost always want to get to what is next, if not the end then at least the middle. I’m happiest just about anywhere but the beginning. Yet, situated in this scriptural description of the restoration of the people of God (the work to which God has called me and all of Restor(y) to) is this challenging question, “Who dares make light of small beginnings?” There is conviction in these words, an implied statement that small beginnings are not to be dismissed (some translations actually say “despised” and I admit I’m often not far from despising small beginnings). No, these moments of seeming insignificance are to be valued and are not to be rushed.
I can imagine being the prophet Zechariah in this moment, the restoration of the temple that he so longs far probably looks so far away. We are told that Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of the temple, but anyone who’s built a house knows that doesn’t exactly look all that impressive. How long has that foundation been laid waiting for walls to go up, for something to make it clear that a temple is coming? It’s easy to dismiss something as plain looking as a foundation. It is a small beginning, one we know is necessary but just want done quickly so we can move to the more exciting work. Oh how much this is like the work of healing and restoration. The beginning stages of healing and restoration are often the most lackluster. They are the moments of acknowledging one’s need for healing, beginning to identify what is broken, and recognizing where trauma has been writing a community’s narrative. We tend to want to rush through these moments, these small (and often painful) beginnings. Yet, this work is the foundation of restoration. It may not look like healing, we long for the moments when we can begin putting up walls so all who look on recognize that we are doing the work of restoration. Yet, this passage invites us to embrace the truth that God is mightily at work even in the seemingly insignificant.
For any of us desiring to see healing and wholeness come to the life of the church, we must cling to this truth. We must believe it and embody it. It is one thing to say we believe there is value in the small beginnings. It is an entirely different thing to live that way. Today I want to invite us all to three practices that can help us embrace the small beginnings as we work for restoration:
Acknowledge the Small Things: Whether you are working through your own personal healing work or are journeying with your church through a restoration process, take time to acknowledge and mark every moment, especially the small ones. Did your congregation finally name the suffering they’ve been carrying for years? Acknowledge their bravery in the act of naming. Did you identify ways in which another behavior of yours is a response from some unhealed trauma? Share that with a trusted counselor or friend and thank the Holy Spirit for revealing that to you. Whatever it is, take time to notice even the small beginnings.
Look for God There: We’ve been talking about relying on the Spirit throughout the restoration process. In order to do this, we must be aware of how God is at work. The reason we do not despise the small beginnings is because God is at work there. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what he is doing. Do not ask him to show you what he will do once this phase is over. Rather invite him to open your eyes to the work happening in the seemingly insignificant happenings all around you.
Don’t Rush: Finally, don’t rush. This may be the hardest action step. Not rushing is an invitation to embrace a posture of presence. We choose to not be consumed with what’s next, we do not run on ahead, and we make the conscious effort to not view this small beginning as simply a “necessary step” to get where we’re going but rather a gift in and of itself, regardless of what follows.
My prayer for us all this week is that as we continue to walk this journey of restoration for the church we would not make light of the small beginnings but would instead cherish them as gifts from our God who is always working.
