Today, I want to encourage you to keep going, even when you find it hard to do so. You see, God may have given you a glimpse of where He wants you to be spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally, academically, or professionally, but it may seem too distant for you. The task may be so daunting. The promise may appear to be so far away, and the dream may seem so big that you find it very hard to imagine. So instead of pursuing it, you might say,” It’s going to take forever for me to reach that goal,” and you give up. NO, NO, NO!!!
I’m here to tell you not to give up, not to quit. As Pastor always says, “It’s the start that stops you.” If you can just get started, you are well on your way—even if you start with baby steps. Remember, you have to crawl before you can walk, and you have to walk before you can run. The important thing to note is that you start!!
In 1 Peter 2:2, we are told, with regard to our spiritual lives, that we are to behave as newborn babes, “long[ing] for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” As a mother of four, I have witnessed first-hand the hunger and thirst of babies. I mean, they just can’t seem to get enough. For all of them, as soon as I would feed them, within an hour, they were ready for more. Each time, I recall being so sleep deprived and so tired because these babies had such a strong desire for nourishment. Deep within their little bitty selves, they knew that they needed that milk to survive, to grow. Now almost eleven years later, my first-born is taller than I, eating adult meals (no more kiddy menus), and wearing my shoe size!! My, my, my!! They grow so fast.
And the funny part of this whole example is that we understand it in the natural with regard to our children, but in our spiritual lives and in other areas, we tend to want the growth instantaneously. We want to get to the promise without the process. We want the destiny without the deliverance and the testimony without the test. Like many of my students, we want the “A” without the effort! But we need to put legs to the vision because without the action, our dreams will remain just that: dreams.
In 1998, the idea of founding a church would still be just that if Pastor and I had not put in a lot of love, prayer, faith, perseverance, consistency, preparation, and even elbow grease! It didn’t happen overnight. First there was commitment to the Lord, dedicated service in other people’s churches/ministries, the faithful sending of inspirational email messages (through Elyon Ministries), a weekly radio broadcast (“Restoring Your Glory”), and then in 2007, the church (Restored Glory Christian Center). It was a process that began even before the vision was given in ‘98. Now we’re about to celebrate 4 years as a thriving, life-changing, community-focused church!!! And this is just the beginning……..God is sooooo GOOD!!!
With God’s help, we can turn those dreams into reality. That intimacy with God, that business, that degree, that weight goal, that level of fitness, that house, that peace, that debt-freedom, that position, that family, that ministry—-whatever those dreams are, they are all within reach, so don’t let the start stop you. Stir up your desire (your “longing”) and take those baby steps. Believe me, you won’t regret it!
Get Movin’,
Veronica Yon
