Surf 8 Christians launched on 08 March 2021. This month, we celebrated our second birthday. Bill and I discussed various milestones in our SAPPy thoughts video, Surf 8 Christians Turns TWO. Reviewing the first two years of Surf 8 Christians is a great reminder of how doing little by little is a lot.
God created the heavens and the earth in six days (Genesis 1). Each day, He completed a milestone. God didn’t do everything in one moment but at the end of the sixth day, He did so much. Even though God is able to do so much more than us in a moment, it still shows how doing little by little is a lot.
It is easy to fall into the trap that you aren’t doing enough. That you haven’t reached your goals quickly enough. That you aren’t where you want to be or think you should be. To those of you struggling with this, know that God’s timing is perfect (Isaiah 60:22).
Let’s look at some examples of how doing little by little adds up to a lot.
Example 1: Improving your health
When people want to improve their health, they tend to make too many changes too fast and they end up quitting. It is best to make small changes and keep adding small changes. All these small changes will make a big difference.
When I started making changes to improve my own health, the first thing I did was drink enough water in the day. I didn’t change anything else until I was able to make this a part of my normal routine. Then the next thing I did was getting myself to skim milk. I started with 2%, then 1%, until I was able to drink skim milk. Now, I have many positive health habits which I developed over the years.
If you are trying to improve your health, make 1-2 changes for a few weeks. Then add another 1-2 changes. It will be much easier to focus on 1-2 changes than being overwhelmed by an overhaul of health changes at once.
Example 2: Building your relationship with Jesus Christ
Accepting Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you will ever make. But it can be difficult to add many changes at once like praying, reading your Bible, learning and understanding the meaning of scripture, etc.
Reading your Bible is a great example of doing little by little is a lot. If you read one scripture a day, by the end of the month you will have read 30 scriptures. If you read one chapter a day, you will have read 30 chapters by the end of the month or 365 chapters by the end of the year. You can read all of Proverbs in one month if you read one chapter a day.
If you are saved, your relationship with Jesus Christ is for eternity (John 3:16). You will continue to grow with Him. You do not need to do everything right now! You can continue to grow by adding more time with God by praying, reading His Word, and being led by the Holy Spirit.
Example 3: Quitting Substance Use
Addiction, regardless of the substance, is difficult to break especially if you are trying to do it without Christ Jesus. But you can break the chains of addiction, even though it doesn’t usually happen overnight. Quitting cold turkey, that is, instantly and abruptly, is not the common success story.
Quitting an addiction typically requires a series of small steps that help a person not need the substance anymore, that is, remove their dependency. You are doing little by little to accomplish a lot.
Each substance addiction requires its own recovery needs. The first step may be contacting a community recovery program in your area.
We don’t always get it right. We make mistakes. We have plans that don’t go as planned. We have setbacks and backslides. But God’s mercy is new every morning. Keep seeking God and let Him guide your steps.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Learn more in our blog: Every Sunrise Is a New Beginning