THE BEGINNING OF DOING
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”–Ex. 3:11“And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”–Ex. 4:10
If I say, “The beginning of doing is beginning” it sounds trite, but it needs to be said. I have spent a good part of my life trying to do things I really didn’t know how to do. I’m not sure when it started, but it sure became noticeable when I became a father. I used to say, “Before I became a father I had no children and several theories about raising kids. Now I have eight children and no theories”. But, the truth is, I didn’t actually have any theories when I started. Like everyone else, I learned about being a father by experience–and I didn’t get it all right.
The next big step was becoming a preacher, followed quickly by becoming a pastor. I wasn’t prepared when I started and after 50 years I am still far from perfect. I mention this because regardless of what you do it won’t happen until after you start and it will never be perfect, or as good as someone else might do it. Do it anyway! As someone said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called”.
I’m not saying do whatever you please anyway you please. I’m talking about discovering what God wants you to do and doing it the best you can. We should never assume that we ought to do something just because we want to do it. Desire alone is no justification for doing as we please. But when you know it is what God wants you to do and you have prepared the best you can, do it. Don’t be afraid to start and don’t be discouraged if you make a mistake, or fail to measure up to your expectations or those of others.
Give yourself a break. Getting discouraged doesn’t help. Everyone fails. Don’t let your failure become your fall. Failing doesn’t make you a failure. When you do your best, which is all God expects, and you fail, get up and try again. For some of you it is way past time to get started. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from starting.–HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
