Click for audio: The Smallest Beginning
Part 5 of 6
Step 4: I wait until some circumstance pointing in the desired direction begins to show itself. It may be small but it is the type and not the magnitude of the circumstance that is important. This is the beginning of significant changes.
We are reminded here of Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32).
Black mustard is the likely species referred to here. The seed is indeed small and the shrub grows to a height of about 9 feet. The plant, of course, is not the point of the parable. It is the transformation from small beginnings to a substantial plant that deserves our attention.
As you hold your vision, you will see small circumstantial indications that new activity is beginning in the direction of your desire. These may seem so insignificant that you hardly notice. While you won’t want to become hyper-aware of every little thing that develops, you want to be aware enough that you give thanks for the smallest of sprouts that come up. Don’t look for the 9-foot plant but learn to recognize each sprout that occurs. As Troward points out, it is not the magnitude of the circumstance that is important but the direction it is pointing.
Bear in mind that we’re not just talking about circumstances. We’re also talking about inspired ideas that come to us. We may get the urge to clean a room or a desk drawer which can spark other things to happen. The smallest beginning is, after all, a beginning.