Little by Little

Do you know how to run a marathon? One step at a time. Marathons cover 26.2 miles, and take someone like me around 4 hours to complete. That’s enough time and distance to really wear out the legs. And when you’re exhausted, the thought of covering the remaining 6…8…10 miles becomes unbearable, until you tap into the secret sauce mentally…You break it down into parts and run the rest of the race little by little.

Just make it to that next aid station. One more mile. Just reach that next road sign. Actually, marathon runners begin this approach months before the race. They implement training programs designed to slowly build endurance…little by little.

What’s the point, Bill? I’m glad you asked. The Christian life requires more of you than you currently have the capacity to give. You’re being called farther — higher — than you can ever imagine going. You’re called to follow Jesus through death and into a new creation life that’s free from apathy, hopelessness, anxiety, and all the other burdens of this world. You’re called to a holy life full of faith, love, joy, and peace. How could you and I possibly get from here to there? Little by little.

It’s easy to hear about testimonies of major spiritual breakthrough moments and think that’s how Christians gain the new creation life. Those moments are great. They happen. And we pray for them constantly. But it’s not the only way God works. In fact, it’s not the most common way God works. He often works little by little.

When God explained to his people what it would look like to conquer and possess the land he promised, this is exactly what he described to them:

Exodus 23:30 (NIV) — “Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”

You see, it’s not the promised land and the finish line that matter most to God. Throughout the Bible, we learn that he’s intensely interested in seeing his people increase enough to take possession of his promises. That happens day by day, and…little by little.

So as you “run with endurance the race that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:1, CSB) and look to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1, CSB), know that the little things you do to be trained by God today are building into something you could never imagine. And when things get tough, pick a small goal with God, and persevere in taking it…little by little.