The First Few Coins

Somewhere in the work of the minor biblical prophets is one single verse that resounds in my heart on days when I forget that small is not the same as non existent.
It simply says "Despise not small beginnings." In other words Don't hate the small start.
We're human, and if I'm speaking for myself I say that a small start is a hard start. It's just a hard start.
On the arm of my couch right now is a quart sized glass milk bottle which is slowly filling with coins and bills. It's a fund I've started for something beautiful I desire. Last week I dropped the first few coins into the bottle and asked the Lord to bless them. I believe in a God who desires to bless. That doesn't mean He's a show man who will snap His fingers and give candy apple red corvettes to the first fifty faithful, no...quite the contrary.
God is full of blessings, just full of them, but among my own greatest blessings are those which came when I was at the utter end of my means, of myself, of my rope.
Over the past couple of weeks I've received some awesome confirmation about what to do now, what to do next, and to be perfectly honest, as awesome as all of that is: It makes me feel a bit small.

Small. As in, why on earth would I be the one to do such things? I look to my right and see the quart sized bottle and I think to myself "The first few coins are the most difficult to drop." When the bottle is empty and you yearn for it to be full, it's hard to drop the first few coins and hear the loud thud of the metal against the glass, knowing that it may look empty for awhile, but believing it won't always be that way. Some day, the jar will be full and the desire fulfilled, but only if we're willing to drop coin by coin into the empty bottle and watch the process. Of course, that's hard for most of us, as lots of times we get discouraged and just stop. Like that guy in the parable of the talents who just flat out decided "Hey, I'm gonna bury this because I'm freaking out about what the heck I'm supposed to do with it, so if I stick it in the ground I've got nothing to lose." Uh...except...wrong.

If there's something in your life you want to see happen, drop the first few coins and ask God to bless the jar. Of course, it may be painstakingly slow (or it may not) and you may want to give up and go buy a soda with your meager coins (or you may see it flourish in a week's time) but either way, remember you're not serving a sleepy God. He wired you with the dreams you carry. Don't bury them.

Put your money where your mouth is,
Courtney