Where you start does not determine where you go.
Chasing a dream is not easy. Especially when circumstances are against you – and self-doubt, comparison, and insecurity start to rob you of your potential. But I’ve realized that small beginnings are great beginnings.
In the last couple of months, I decided to plant a website that would build up young women. Something I wish I had growing up, but never had. And I truly thought it would be all fun and games, but it has stretched me in more ways than I could’ve ever imagined.
I like a plan. This experience has shown me that I really don’t know the future of this website. I like control, but I have absolutely no control whether this platform will get off the ground or not. I like answers, though it is a question mark on how successful this endeavor will be.
Do you get my vibe? This has been hard. My faith has been tested in more ways than ever before.
And in this struggle, I have fallen into comparison. On Instagram I am reminded at how the odds are against me, not being born into a huge platform and very few connections. The comparison is eating me alive – telling me that I’m not good enough, that I won’t make it, that I should shift my focus somewhere else.
But while the lies were consuming me, I came across a life-giving verse.
“Don’t despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT
For the first time ever, I felt secure. I felt like I might be on the right track, that I’m not doing something wrong, that this might be normal. I felt hopeful.
There’s something beautiful about small starts. All of my favorite stories are about people who rose from the bottom, who beat the odds.
Like Rocky, a Boston-native who became a successful boxer, but had to endure hours of practice, under the weight of little money, and a difficult past. Or Howard Shultz, the founder of Starbucks, who kept going after getting rejected 242 times before someone took a chance on his idea. Or even Louis Zamperini, a poor, feisty guy living in California, who eventually became an Olympian. These stories are beautiful.
All of these people, fictional or not, made it. But it took work. Blood, sweat and tears, and a whole lot of faith to achieve their goals.
I do not want to hate on those who are lucky with their start. That’s amazing. But even if your future looks dark because you don’t have all your ducks in a row, don’t give up.
God can move in amazing ways.
The first part of this verse has a lot to say, but the second part should not be taken lightly. Even if we are starting small, we gotta work with what we got. What doors have opened for that dream? What opportunities? We need to guard what’s been entrusted to us. When we are comparing ourselves on Instagram, this is taking away precious time to do.the.work.
What work has God given you to do, right now, in this season?
For me, it’s this small website, with a readership that I love. Though it’s a tight community, it gives me joy to see how it’s becoming a place women go to for encouragement.
What have you been entrusted with?
If you have a dream, go for it. No matter what your paycheck looks like, no matter where you come from, no matter who you know. Stay determined. And don’t be discouraged if the results look like they will never come. Your small beginning is your story, and your story is not over yet.
I am still trying to believe this myself. Each day I have to wake up and tell myself to keep writing, to not compare myself to those who are farther along. I have to choose to believe in myself.
Your beginning does not mark your ending. But what you do in between these two spans shape where you go. You have the choice to give in to your circumstances, to believe that the odds are against you.
Or you can choose to fight. To not give up. To push for the dream God gave you.
Let’s believe in this together. Our dreams are worth fighting for, even if the beginning is humble and small. There is progress to be made, and your wonderful story has just begun.
