Do not despise these small beginnings. – Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
When results don’t come as fast as we want our tendency is to get frustrated and throw in the towel.
We wonder things like, “I’m spending so much time at the gym why am I not seeing results?” Or “Why is my blog not growing faster?” Or “Why is my business not producing more revenue?”
These things all take time. In the Bible, there is a principal of seed, time, and harvest.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. – Genesis 8:22
All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. - Mark 4:28
This concept is not just about plants but also our lives. Things do not appear in our lives overnight. They take time. Every action, every thought, every word spoken is a seed we sow. What you do today is a seed sown into your future. Just as an apple tree does not grow overnight your dreams will not magically happen overnight. People that are viewed as “overnight successes” have been consistently sowing into their future until that moment where they have finally reaped a harvest.
The key is to be consistent and not give up.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9
The fact that things are a process allows us to grow and increase our capacity. What if suddenly your business went from 50 customers to 500 customers? Initially you might be excited at the increase in revenue but it could end up a complete disaster if you don’t have the proper procedures in place to handle that kind of growth. You would be totally overwhelmed.
So instead of looking at it as a curse that your dream hasn’t happened yet look at it as a blessing that you are learning the skills along the way that you will need to maintain that dream.
Before David in the Bible could ever defeat the giant Goliath in public he had to first defeat the lion and bear in private. David as an unglamorous shepherd was faithful in his job and defended his father’s sheep against every vicious animal. These victories gave David the confidence to defeat an even bigger enemy.
Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. – 1 Samuel 17:36
As you start living your purpose out day by day you will grow in your confidence. Keep doing what you are doing. The seeds you are sowing now will produce a harvest for your future. Remain faithful in the little and one day you will be ruler over much.