Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin… – Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
The old woman chuckled softly, “Have you been snooping around in my purse, young lady?”
Her granddaughter looked up, wide-eyed, holding a tiny, rusted nail in her hand. “I just wanted a piece of gum.”
The grandmother gently took the nail, her fingers trembling slightly, and looked at it for a long moment. Sixty years earlier, as a young girl stepping out of the gates of the Ravensbruck concentration camp, she had spotted something small and shiny on the ground. It turned out to be just a bent nail. But after all she had seen and suffered, picking up that nail felt like reclaiming a piece of her humanity. A reminder that her life still had meaning and purpose. That there was still hope – even in ruin.
Now, decades later, that same little piece of metal – worthless by most standards – sat in her purse wrapped in an old handkerchief. Just a nail. Yet to her, it was a monument.
It brings to mind Zechariah 4:10 – “Do not despise these small beginnings…” Those words were originally spoken to a discouraged group of people trying to rebuild their lives and their temple after being exiled in Babylon. The task felt overwhelming, and what they had accomplished so far looked unimpressive. But God told them, through the prophet Zechariah, that He rejoiced to see the work begin. Even if it was small, even if it didn’t look like much – God was in it.
The temple wouldn’t be rebuilt by human strength or strategy, but by God’s Spirit. He wasn’t waiting for something impressive or grand. He was pleased with just plain ol’ faithfulness.
And that’s still true today.
God loves to use small things in powerful ways:
- A shepherd boy’s sling and stones
- A widow’s two coins
- A mustard seed
- A boy’s lunch
- A tiny, bent nail in the bottom of a purse
The world might overlook these things, but God doesn’t. He sees their meaning, their message, and their potential. So don’t dismiss what feels small in your life today – your efforts, your beginnings, your prayers, your faith…
God rejoices to see you begin – right where you are, with what little you have, trusting Him to turn it into something bigger.
Former Blackout Artist 