By Katy Mariotti

Jump In!

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3, English Standard Version

My amazing mom (whose birthday is today!  Happy birthday, I love you!) always made me the most gorgeous Halloween costumes growing up.  She sewed me a Snow White dress, a Minnie Mouse dress, a Maid Marian costume, and the most amazing, a princess on a horse!  She even sewed the horse!  The costumes were always so beautiful that when I had my own kids, I wanted to do the same, and I bought a sewing machine!  When I first started it took a lot of questions for my mom and looking things up on the internet, but now I can make costumes!

This year, however, I feel very far behind.  I am sewing my daughter’s costume, but do you know how difficult it is to sew with an 11-month-old baby crawling around?  Sewing machines and sharp pins and scissors are not exactly baby-friendly.  Even just finding a minute to get started felt like a challenge.  We finally picked the pattern she wanted, bought all the materials, and I cut out the paper pattern pieces.

I didn’t feel confident after finishing these steps.  There was still SO much work to do.  I still needed to cut out the fabric.  Then when I start on the actual directions, there are 54 steps, and each step has multiple parts! Cutting out these paper pattern pieces felt insignificant.

But I took a picture anyway.  Because I knew that as long as I kept going, eventually those bits of paper would turn into a dress for my daughter, and I wanted to document where I started.

Beginnings can feel daunting and small.  If you look at the end product, or at a goal, sometimes it can feel so far away that it seems there’s no point in even beginning.  But beginnings are essential.  No end product can exist or goal achieved without a beginning, no matter how small.  Think of all the things you have or do today- where did they start?  What tiny step did they begin with?

The most important thing to remember is that God is there for the entire extent of our lives.  He is there for the beginning, the middle, and the end.  As the verse in Proverbs said, if we commit all our work to Him, He will establish our plans.  And we can remember the verse in Jeremiah that also talks about plans:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11, ESV

If you are struggling to start something today, I encourage you to commit your work to the Lord and jump in! Remember that He will be with you and that He gives you hope.  Even a tiny first step can lead to great things!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO