Inches

March 3, 2019

If all you see is the accomplishment of the moment, it could get discouraging. You have to look at the end goal and measure your progress inch by inch. Winter wasn’t particularly bad this year; we had a couple storms, a bit of snow, but not like those years when I had to plow my driveway three times in one day. Temperature was up and down, which wreaks havoc on the roads, freezing and thawing and freezing again, allowing water to seep into the cracks where at the next freeze it expands, crumbling the asphalt. The wind took down a tree in the backyard while littering the lawn with branches, and a winter’s worth of dog debris took an hour with a shovel and a bag.

Linda has seedlings sprouting in her new garden window in the bedroom, waiting warmer weather when they can be transplanted into the garden. The moles left trails all over the lawn which will need rolling as soon as it dries up enough so the tractor won’t leave ruts, and last fall’s leaves that didn’t get raked up will need attention. This afternoon, I raked the gravel deposited in the lawn from plowing the driveway for the past three months. The old shoulder muscles protested, but I didn’t quit till it was done.

That raking was a tiny piece of the springtime work that lies ahead. Patio furniture needs bringing up from the basement, the gutters need cleaning, garage roof has to be swept, and the soffits washed. It’ll be awhile before we sit on the deck relaxing as we sip our coffee. Compared to the work that yet needs to be done, today’s barely got me off the starting blocks. But it is the beginning, not the ending. It’s not much, but it’s something.

The day’s work for God often seems small and insignificant. Sometimes the victories look unimportant, the steps taken, small. But each step taken towards Christ moves us one step closer to the goal. If I look only at the steps and not the journey, I would be easily discouraged. But if I look behind me I see how far I’ve come, and looking ahead, I know each tiny step is important. My church isn’t growing by leaps and bounds, but we are seeing progress. I’m seeing faces I hadn’t seen before, and on those faces, hope. I’m thankful for those tiny steps, those inches that steadily move us closer to the goal. We’re going to get there. I have God’s promise for it: “He who begun a good work in you will not cease to perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)