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Traci Huff

What Am I Doing Here?: Small Beginnings

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Having been made in the image of God, our hearts have been set by Him on eternity. Rooted in each heart is a God-given desire to impact the world around us. But in the midst of endless distractions, countless opportunities to live out our purpose can go unnoticed each and every day. Stick around this week as we look at how we live our day-to-day lives in a way that points others to the cross.

 

Small Beginnings

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plum line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” 

Zechariah 4:10, NLT

mondayYou need not look very far to see seemingly ordinary people doing remarkable things in the name of Jesus. Evangelists are bringing the gospel to thousands. Wells are being dug, bringing the lifeline of clean water to impoverished communities in desperate need. Rescued from the horrors of sex slavery, women are supporting themselves through meaningful employment, and orphans around the world are being adopted into loving families. I get goosebumps just thinking about the kingdom work that is being done all around the world!

Within each of our hearts is a God-given desire to make a difference in the world around us. All too often, the great needs compared with our limited abilities can seem intimidating so we settle on doing nothing.

After the destruction of Solomon’s temple by the Babylonians, Zerubbabel was the man charged to rebuild it. It was no small task. Remembering the splendor of Solomon’s temple, many of the older Jews were disappointed with the new temple. Compared to Solomon’s temple, it was smaller and lacking the “wow” factor they felt it needed. Talk about sucking the wind right out of someone’s sails!

What if Zerubbabel had given in to the discouragement of the unfair comparison, believing his temple wasn’t big enough or grand enough? What if he had chosen to do nothing?

Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of the comparison trap and felt that what I had to offer was just too small. I’ve given in to discouragement. Maybe you have, too.

The Lord told Zechariah, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” (Zechariah 4:10). Bigger isn’t always better: He values our small efforts and actually rejoices in them! Small yeses, small sacrifices, and small steps of faith are the beginning. Just as Jesus took a little boy’s lunch, blessed it, multiplied it, and fed thousands, He will do the same for us. We need only lay our small offering of our time, our money, our gifts, and our lives at His feet.

Savoring the small,

Traci

Stick Your Foot In

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And when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap….and the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. 

Joshua 3:15-17, NASB

crashing wavesThe Lord had spoken to Joshua and His command had been clear: the Ark of the Covenant was to be carried across the Jordan River. Not only was it to be carried, but the priests who carried the Ark were to stand still in the middle of the river. That’s not a big deal if we are talking about a small stream where the water is no more than a peaceful trickle, but this was no small stream. There was no trickling. In fact, the river was flooded. That changes things a bit, doesn’t it? It requires a bit more trust. OK, a lot more trust.

The Ark contained the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments had been written. To say it was a treasured possession would be a gross understatement. Yet when the Lord told them to pack up the Ark and cross the overflowing river, they went. It wasn’t until the soles of their feet rested in the waters that the flow was cut off and dry land appeared.

I love it when God shows up and shows off, don’t you?

Imagine what would have happened if the Israelites had refused to trust God with the Ark and hadn’t crossed the river? What if they had waited for the river to stop flowing first? I guess they’d still be waiting. Thankfully, they were faithful and obedient.

We all have things we value that can prevent us from stepping out in faith and following God’s call for our lives, to bring us to the Promised Land the Lord has for us.

Maybe it’s our career or our home? The Lord has told us it’s time to move on, but there are too many unknowns. The new job pays less, comforts may be lost, and relationships left behind, so we stay where we are.

Maybe the Lord has stirred your heart toward fulfilling the Great Commission and taking the gospel to the nations? The risks are too great and the unknowns are too many to count so we push those stirrings aside.

Your heart wants to leap at the chance to serve in an area of ministry? You feel ill-equipped and afraid of failure, so you never put yourself out there.

You’ve felt compelled to share your faith with your neighbor? You don’t know enough, your life is far from perfect, and they might think you’re weird. You’ll do it when you know more and if they initiate the conversation first.

Remember friend, God didn’t dry up the water until the priests placed their foot in the flood waters. What step is God asking you to take today?

Stepping in faith,

Traci

God’s Got This

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So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw’ and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

2 Kings 6:16-17, NASB

horse21The king of Aram was furious with the prophet Elisha and had begun exacting his revenge. Following the orders of the king, the Aramean army circled the city of Dothan where Elisha was rumored to have been staying. Rising early one morning, Elisha’s servant went out, and upon seeing the Aramean’s horses and chariots he asked Elisha, “What shall we do?”

It’s a valid question, don’t you think? I’m thinking now would be a good time to have a strategy.

Elisha, steadfast in faith, reminded the servant not to fear. More were fighting for them than against them. And then for some added assurance for his servant, Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes so that he could see for himself the army that was fighting for them. “And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

Have you ever wished you could get a behind the scenes look when your faith is feeling a little weak in the knees? More than once I have wished to be privy to this information. Maybe I wouldn’t have problems trusting if I could just see the Lord’s army fighting on my behalf. I guess that isn’t faith though, is it? The writer of Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NASB emphasis mine).

Elisha had it right. Elisha’s servant, like me at times, had it all wrong.

When the storms of life crash head-on with our faith, it can be easy to fix our eyes on our problems. We can see them. They’re real and they can be frightening. Like the servant, we can be quick to panic or try to spring in to action like it all depends on us. The good news is that it doesn’t depend on us. God’s got this.

The Lord and His army are fighting on our behalf. We need only to trust. Like Elisha, we too can stand in confidence that those fighting for us are more than those fighting against us.

Choosing to trust,

Traci