Small Beginnings

June 23, 2008

By Gary Rogers

“Who despises the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10, NIV).

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah to encourage the completion of the temple. God wanted His people to realize that just because something begins small doesn’t mean that the end cannot be on a grand scale for God.

At the beginning of an endeavor, we may be acting on a thought that develops into a prayer and then becomes a vision which grows into a plan. But every great accomplishment can be traced back to that small beginning.

We must never underestimate what God can use for His kingdom. We must never belittle the potential in children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults and seniors. Every age-group has tremendous potential for the kingdom of God. The sad reality is many great accomplishments die before they have the encouragement to develop. I pray that God will allow me to be an encourager and not a dream killer.

One morning after my prayer time I glanced across the street and saw an open garage door. The Lord gave me an idea of doing something special for Andy, my neighbor. Andy flies helicopters for Life Flight in Tulsa. He volunteered to go to Iraq and fly cargo missions with his National Guard unit out of Tulsa. The idea the Lord gave me was to fix up his rusting car under the tarp in his garage.

My initial thought was to get some local companies to help us paint it and possibly even overhaul the engine. After gaining permission from Tammy, Andy’s wife, I shared the idea with Joe, another neighbor. With a call to WyoTech Trade School, the car was soon on its way to Wyoming. Guy, the president of WyoTech, is a veteran Marine and he caught the vision for a complete restoration.

After 1,500 man-hours the car was better than new. They dismantled the car completely and rebuilt it from the ground up. The finished product had a factory-fresh 5.7-liter Hemi with 345 horsepower, new suspension, brakes, transmission, rear end, and a striking metal flake yellow paint job. The total investment was about $100,000.

The recent unveiling was a complete surprise to Andy and included a short program that focused on both God’s protective hedge about Andy and the giving spirit of the 30-member team that traveled from Wyoming to witness the car being reunited with its owner. It was very special. Two local TV stations recorded the event, and Inside Edition aired their coverage.

And it all began with a thought that came to mind after prayer time. Never underestimate what God can do through you. Just give Him an opportunity and He can take a small beginning and build something memorable.

— Gary Rogers is senior pastor of First Assembly of God in Coweta, Okla.