Small Beginnings

 {Originally written as a guest post for another blog in July, 2021.}

Zechariah 4:6-10

6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’”

8 Then another message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

Yesterday, I stood at the Colorado River. Except, a river it was NOT. A little stream, trickling in places, narrow, a couple of inches deep… if the sign had not said “Colorado River”, I never would have known. I was standing at the headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

A year ago… in fact, a year ago TODAY... I stood on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and gazed into the chasm and across the deep. It’s the only place I’ve ever been that I had a physical reaction to, as we rounded the lodge to get our first look and my breath literally caught in my chest, causing me to audibly gasp. Later that day, we went to the iconic Horseshoe Bend, not as dramatic in its scope but every bit as beautiful. 

Both of those places came into existence, were carved and cut into their current form, by the Colorado River. The physical environments are continually changing even today by that mighty river. “Mighty”? This?

Yes. This. These waters are the beginning of the same river that runs 1450 miles and stops a few miles before the Gulf of California in Mexico. It passes through 7 states and 2 countries on its journey. It carries boaters and rafters and trout and fishermen and a water supply for agriculture and industry and recreation. Nature dot Org told me that “The Colorado River supports $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity and 16 million jobs in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. That's equivalent to about 1/12 of the total U.S. domestic product, meaning the Colorado River's contribution is important to the national economy as well.”

All of that…. From this.

The moment I realized this was that same river that does all of those things, the verse, “Do not despise small beginnings” came into my head and, to be honest, I wasn’t even positive where to find it in the Old Testament. I took the picture because I knew there was a message from the Lord, a lesson, in this for me and possibly for others. When I looked up the verse and read the context, I couldn’t help but also notice verse 7… not even a mighty mountain will stand in his way, it will become a level plain. Or a canyon with a river running through it. The lesson in this, at least for me, is in the end of verse 10. Not only do not despise small beginnings, which is a great phrase to memorize and apply, but the second part: “For the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”. 

I don’t actually mind the beginning of things. I get really excited in the planning and organizing and dreaming process. The part I don’t always enjoy is the work on the front end… and the middle… and the redos…. and the next middle…. I much prefer being the raging river that powerfully cuts through the mountains than the trickling little stream that pushes and fights and weakens and works to get to the mighty end. 

But the Lord, He rejoices when I pick up the plumb line. He rejoices as each stone is set in place. He rejoices as I toil, as the little stream keeps pushing through the valleys until it has the power to level a mountain and create a canyon. And, as the early part of the passage says, it’s not my power anyway. It’s not my might, but His. He is the one who dropped the water into Rocky Mountain National Park, who poured that little dribble of headwaters into place, then it was the power of HIS Spirit that pushed that stream into a river with the power to create one of the largest canyons on planet earth.

So today, maybe you are like me and you need that reminder that the beginning doesn’t determine the end, that the work required is worth the result, that He rejoices with you in your labor, and that it’s His Spirit and not your might or power. Whether it’s your occupation or parenting or your vocation or your ministry or relationships or a dream long deferred, He wants to remind you of these things today.