One Twig At A Time

I walked to our mailbox by the road to see if any mail had arrived.  As I was strolling along I looked up and noticed a bird’s nest balancing on a limb!  I stared in amazement!  There were no leaves to help it stay together, nor was it balanced between two limbs; it just rested atop one slim branch.  The wind was blowing, but there it rested securely.

I tried to imagine the bird that decided to build a home in just that spot. One twig at a time would have been put in place.  I don’t understand how it all came together, but I saw it with my own eyes — a beautiful nest.

As I contemplated further, the thought came to me that, that’s how it is when God puts it in our hearts to do something in particular.  Perhaps we tell ourselves that we’re not skilled enough or perhaps we say that someone else can do the job better than us.  Excuses can go on and on.  We want to do what God has put in our hearts to do, but the fear factor can put our efforts into slow motion.

What can we do?  How about, think of one twig at a time.  That’s how the bird built her nest.  Paul ministered to churches in many countries by traveling one day at a time.  Noah built an ark by putting together one board at a time.  Jesus fed 5000 people, one fish at a time.  John baptized in the Jordan River, one person at a time.  Mary gave birth to the Son of God by trusting in Him, one day at a time.  Peter preached to thousands, one crowd at a time.  David led his soldiers into victory, one battle at a time.

Too often, we scare ourselves with our own imagination.  We try to envision the outcome of our attempts.  It’s too big!  We might fail!  What will people think?  How will we ever accomplish the task we have been given to do?  We will accomplish what God asks of us, just like all the examples before us — one step at a time, one day at a time, one prayer at a time.

“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.”  Luke 1:37

The key to this verse is in the word, “with.”  It’s with God that we can do anything that He asks us to do.