Do not despise these small beginnings

Those were the words of our pastor, Ed Noble, quoting from Zechariah 4:10, during a sermon at the beginning of 2015.  It was a sermon series about establishing new and good habits.  That phrase has stuck in my head because it applies to a lot of things. 

I wanted to yell it out loud at spin class this morning.

We joined the local YMCA a couple of weeks ago because with the onset of Winter (for real this time) I thought it would be helpful to be able to do spin classes, swim, etc., only five minutes from home.  They have classes that start at 5:30am and since the Y is so close, I can roll out of bed, get to class, then just go home to shower and get ready for work.  This morning was my first test of that schedule idea, and it worked out quite well.

The down side: I had to endure the repeated complaints and sniping about “this month” and “the resolution bodies” that were taking precious space away from the faithful regulars.  Apparently I was quite an inconvenience.  But I have pretty thick skin.  I shrugged it off because the comments weren’t directed at me.  It was just overheard in the general chatter among the regulars.  The spin instructor even got in his own barbs at one point during the class.  

But what if I wasn’t thick-skinned?  What if I was very trepidatiously trying to make some positive changes in my life and was venturing into a gym for the first time?  What if I felt self-conscious and unsure of myself?  I can’t imagine how those comments would have felt - what they might have done to my efforts to stick with a resolution to improve my health.  And so then I wondered, "How often do my words discourage someone in their journey?"

We've all heard the phrase, “You have to start somewhere."  I'm pretty sure that the people making those comments this morning weren't born at the YMCA.  True ambassadors of any sport, hobby, interest, etc. look to bring new people into it, to make them feel welcome, to feel like they belong.  Whether it’s a church group, gym, hobby club, professional organization, or anything else, everybody is new at some point.  We should all remember that "new guy" feeling - the trepidation and anxiety - and reach out to encourage new people.  For all new journeys, important impressions are made early, in the beginning - they determine the course, or even whether or not the journey will continue.  A smile and a welcoming spirit  might cause us to have to adjust our own little routines, or push US out of our comfort zones a little bit, but it may go a long way in encouraging a new beginning for someone else.

The question then is whether we will be discouragers, or people who encourage others at the start of their journey, delighting in the thought of marveling at what they've accomplished at the end of their journey.

Don’t despise small beginnings.