Small Beginnings

S​o you’ve made it one month! Congratulations! You are 1/10th of the way through the year! Does that sound discouraging? Does the fact that you have 9/10th of the year to go seem daunting?

This is a good time to remember the words of Zechariah to the elders of Israel who were discouraged about the rebuilding of the temple.
“Do not despise these small beginnings,
for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT)

The Israelites remembered the glorious temple of the days of Solomon and the rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel’s leadership was not measuring up. While they were weeping over the small beginnings, God was not.
 
Despite God’s big plans for his people, he is not afraid of the small. Nor is the small any sure sign of his displeasure, as we so often are tempted to think: If God were really in this, things would be bigger by now! No: God had rescued the Israelites, God was with them, and God’s plans would prosper — even through a day of small steps.
 
Consider this lesson from Zechariah as you make your way through your homeschooling journey: if you are genuinely faithful in the day of small things, your small obedience will become big. You may not see right now how your child’s mastery of something small will fit into the big picture, but God does! Your kindergartener will only learn to read by learning the sounds of each letter one by one. Your teen will only learn how to write a term paper by learning to write a good solid sentence with great vocabulary.  Progress is made by a series of baby steps. Your 8 year old is only going to learn how to be responsible for caring for a car someday, by successfully putting away his Legos and protecting them from his little brother’s clumsy hands. And your middle school daughter will only develop into a compassionate trauma counselor someday by making card for a friend today and spreading her art supplies all over the dining table.

Set big goals and dream big for your year ahead, but relax and let God work in the tiny baby steps. Don’t get discouraged about the pace of your child’s progress. Trust Him in the small things and remember that “the Lord rejoices to see the work begin!”