Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….” NLT
Zechariah's name means “Yahweh has remembered.”
God has remembered.
Most people do not see the hard work behind your success. Whether that success is a small business or raising a family, outside people do not see the lessons learned, leaps of faith, and discipline that it took to be where you are. Some days you might even forget where you started and how far you have come, but God remembers.
God remembers the tears, times of defeat, hopeless prayers, and frustration. But most importantly, God remembers the obedience to him. He doesn’t measure wins the same way we do, not through bank account balances and follower count, but through our submission to him.
This verse in Zechariah is referring to the older Jewish people who were discouraged to know that the temple they were building for God would not be as jawdropping as the previous temple built during King Solomons's time as king. The Lord is reminding them that it doesn't matter how grand a statement your finished product makes but how your actions through the work reflected his instructions. The temple was to honor God, not to honor themselves, so the statement it makes to others should not impact their work ethic, drive, or heart.
The little steps we make every day to grow closer to God such as praying, reading a devotion, saying no to dangerous habits, etc. All make a huge impact later on. There is no such thing as a small life if that life lives for God.
God celebrates what is righteous, not necessarily the famous or well-known. I believe God has revealed in the last couple of years that status or platform is not a direct reflection of if he is behind the success. Big platforms and podiums can be hallow with only self-centered intentions. So what can we learn from that?
If you cannot be faithful to him through the small opportunities, why do you want him to give you the big ones? Maybe failing small is God’s way of protecting you from making life-altering mistakes. Maybe these small beginnings can be his way of teaching you so you don’t end up a hollow shell of what you pretend to be.
Instead of dispising where you are and being jealous of those who are where you want to be, look back at how far you have come, realize the personal growth that has occurred, and honor that. Celebrate that. If God reveals something in your life that needs to change, listen to that prompt. Do what is right, not what is big, at the start and in the middle; God will take care of the ending.
Sources:
Publishers, Tyndale House. Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation, . Tyndale House Publishers, 2005