Go big or go home. That’s usually my motto. If you want to travel, you might as well find the hardest to reach place, or go somewhere for 5 weeks instead of 5 days. If you want to write a book, write a bestseller or don't write one at all.
(There are cracks in this logic if you can’t see them.)
I fasted social media for 58 days this spring. This was a “go big or go home” moment for me. I said I’d do it for 40 and then just kept on going.
To be clear, I’m not holier than thou. I just really loved the space left in my brain once Instagram wasn't in it!
So I was afraid to return.
While praying about it recently, I felt like God said, Why is it all or nothing with you, Jonna? Whatever happened to ‘small’?
This made me take pause. (And not a short pause, because that wouldn’t be significant enough. 😉)
I sat there in my office pondering this question as my coffee grow cold...
Why DO I think bigger is better?
The truth is, I know this isn’t true. Super sized fries don’t give you a slimmer waistline, and SUVs don’t save on gas. There is always a cost to going big. But is there a cost to starting small?
Not really.
When you take small steps of faith in any venture, it allows your heart, mind, and body time to adjust.
Take pregnancy for example: 280 days makes a full-sized baby. That’s 280 days of stretching and expanding. Can you imagine what it would be like if we grew tiny humans in 24 hours?! 🤯
Life's miracles and dreams happen in miniscule amounts. They take patience and time to develop because anything worth doing is worth doing consistently.
"Going big", on the other hand, causes people to overlook important details, skip steps, or miss God’s voice completely. Imagine if Zerubbabel had gotten frustrated with the small task of brick-laying and stopped building the temple completely?
“Do not despise small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand” (Zecheriah 4:10).
A plumb line, in case you didn't know (because I didn't either), is a tool that carpenters use to determine the vertical axis before they start building. Without one, a building won't be as level or secure.
Metaphorically speaking, a plumb line is God’s Spirit. Without it, anything we build will be off balance or insecure:
“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my spirit [that things are accomplished] … Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way” (Zecheriah 4:6-7).
Large tasks don’t overwhelm God, but he knows they frighten us. This is why he implores us to: A) rely on his Spirit, and B) start small.
I read another interesting point about the building of this temple recently: Many of the older Jews during this time felt upset that this temple wouldn’t be as big and glorious as the one built during King Solomon’s reign. But my Bible's commentary said this in response:
“Bigger and more beautiful is not always better…God rejoices in what is right, not necessarily in what is big. Be faithful in the small opportunities. Begin where you are and do what you can, and leave the results to God” (New Living Translation, p. 1374).
So for me, I'm going to start small (or at least try to). I don’t need to re-enter social media with a bang, or be on it each and every day in order to make an impact. I can also write my book for the simple sake of doing it. NOT because it's going to one day turn into a motion picture.
The same is true for you – If you want to lose 10 pounds, find a new job, or train your baby to sleep through the night, start small. Anything worth doing is worth doing consistently. Begin where God has you and lay each stone in front of you faithfully and diligently. That way, when the grand masterpiece is revealed and completed, you can say it was done "not by force nor by strength", but with a holy plumb line.
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