Big Things Come from Little Things
Adapted from Healing the Soul of a Woman
His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”
When I look back on the early days of my ministry, I remember well when the organization was “little,” so to speak. Those days required a lot of faith because they were not easy. When I first started doing conferences, they drew only a handful of people, maybe fifty at the most. But the preparation involved in preaching to fifty takes as much time and energy as preparing to preach to five thousand. I had to invest the same amount, but the impact was not as widespread as it is today. Eventually they grew, but I had to be faithful when they were little.
The first van we bought to take our ministry team and equipment to speaking events cost $1,600 and had bald tires and rust spots on it. During those trips, we did not have enough money to spend the night in a motel, so we drove home at night after the evening services had ended, usually arriving about three in the morning. Those were our days of small beginnings, and though they were frustrating at the time, I now know they were very valuable times of preparation for the ministry we have today.
When God heals your soul, you sometimes feel it is happening in very small ways and taking a long time. This is because He is doing deep and thorough work. He is carefully building in your mind, will, and emotions a foundation for strength and wholeness for the days to come. Just as you would want a homebuilder to take proper time and care to lay the foundation of your house, laying a foundation for your future in your soul also takes time and is accomplished little by little.
As your soul heals, I encourage you to pay attention to the little things that happen. You may realize one day that you are not as quick to become angry or fearful as you once were. You may finish a conversation with someone and think, A year ago that comment would have really hurt my feelings, but today I know that my friend didn’t mean it the way it sounded. You may discover one day that you are willing to stand up for yourself for the first time and are no longer willing to put up with verbal abuse or some other kind of bad treatment. You may find yourself willing to forgive someone you have not wanted to forgive or to begin to trust someone you have been reluctant to trust. All of these things are important to the healing of your soul, and they are making you stronger. They may not represent the total breakthrough you are longing for, but they are moving you toward it!
Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for the work You are doing in my soul, even in small ways. Help me be patient and faithful as You make me whole, little by little, amen.
