For who has despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10 NKJV
This is a little bit of a left turn from my previous sentiments about small things, but the scripture itself brought to mind a different application so I’m calling it part four!
If you have ever seen someone who has had a dramatic weight loss, you know it didn’t happen overnight, all at once, or in some miraculous “God immediately strip me of every ounce of excess fat right now in Jesus’ Name!” kind of sign. (Although, I’m open to it, God!!)
Over tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime, and following thousands upon thousands of intentional choices toward that goal, someone can go from weighing 300 lbs. to 190 lbs. That’s over a hundred pounds of weight loss! That is a petite teenage girl you just lost there!! Amazing. If we were present over the course of a year or so to watch this transformation, we may not see each pound drop off. Each tiny little dimple of fat disappearing would go unnoticed. And we could be tempted to despise the small things or miss them completely. But of course, we know that over time, we can see those HUGE changes and they will all add up.
But imagine someone coming into this person’s life, perhaps a personal trainer by trade, meeting them for the first time at 190 lbs. and not knowing their past 300 lb. weighing history. How hurtful (and really, comical) it would be for this new person to gently encourage, “You know, 190 lbs. for your body frame isn’t ideal; with a little work, you could be in a normal weight range!” (I know it seems incredulous that someone say that kind of thing out loud; however, if we’re honest we as Christians often do that do others, mostly in our thoughts.) If that were me, I’d probably just laugh, thinking, “You don’t EVEN know how much I’ve already conquered in this area!” But you can’t really explain to someone who is meeting you in the middle of your journey how many small steps you’ve taken to get where you are. Nor should you have to justify your small steps to man, but it is helpful to know that not all fruit you have borne in your life is always visible to every person in every season.
To the person who meets you at 190 lbs. and sees “no fruit” in the area of weight loss has no clue the fruit you bore over the last year!! But many often approach others from what they have left to work on in their lives, and have no consideration for how much of their journey has already been done.
If you’re looking for big juicy apples of fruit hanging on the tree right now to determine if someone’s a Christian, you may not find what you’re looking for…it may be winter; the harvest may already have taken place! They may be in a growing season and if you wait *just* a few more days/weeks/months, perhaps a new crop of fruit may spring up.
God, help us not to despise the small beginnings of others, even the baby steps that are taken toward Christ and His holiness every day. Help us understand that not all fruit is apparent and visible to others all the time, but that as we seek You and pursue holiness the transformation has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen regardless of our outward appearance.