by Heather Biggs
Over the last couple of weeks Ethan and I have been slowly kitting out our flat. We have an impressive 27m2 to work with (huge, I know right!) After dealing with the Tupperware and Ice-cream tubs, we moved onto a challenge that has caused me immense pain. Specifically in my left big toe. The scattered shoe problem.
Upon counting, we discovered we had 16 pairs of shoes between us, scattered haphazardly around the flat. The floor at the foot of the bed has been particularly dangerous territory. Getting dressed in that area in the mornings requires great acrobatics; trying not to flip flop over the slipslops, while bashing your heel against the heels.
It was therefore with great excitement, that we bought ourselves a shoe rack! It arrived during one of PE’s latest spates of unplanned loadshedding. We were undaunted by the lack of light, and by the illumination of a phone torch built our shoe rack. Assessing our construction abilities the following morning, we actually did quite well! In no time, we gathered up our footwear and admired our barren floors.
But that was not enough! The bug of home-improvements had bitten and I wanted more! Next up was a bookshelf! While the floor was covered in shoes, all of the spare desk space, the side tables and even under the bed, was taken up by books. Which is not a bad problem to have, but definitely a good excuse to get another piece of furniture. So, after lots of measuring and three furniture stores later, we found the perfect bookshelf! It is already full.
There is still the desire to organise our little space and find or fix up more things (uncollapsing the couch is the next task). But I am now caught between the desire for more, and the simple enjoyment of what progress we have made. Looking back on where we started, I am amazed we weren’t pulling our hair out with the cramped craziness. But I just remember taking a lot of deep breaths and enjoying the slow progress.
We keep commenting to our Bible study that we are almost ready to host. Just one more thing, just one more. Sometimes that slow progress is the hardest to see and appreciate. Glacial movement can be more frustrating than no movement, because of how impatient we can get. But ironically, at Bible study this week, we looked at Zechariah and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, which also seemed to move at a snails pace. In Chapter 4 in particular, God berates the Israelites for their impatience.
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone (or plumb line) in the hand of Zerubbabel?” Zechariah 4:10
Firstly, it took us about 10 minutes to figure out what on earth this verse was saying. The seven eyes part had us confounded. But when we got over that terrifying concept, we refocussed on the first part of the verse: who dares despise the day of small things? I love that phrase “the day of small things”. A day in which it seems nothing important is done, but the many small things add up.
The idea is that God watches over the entire world, but what brings Him joy is His people meeting His standard of righteousness by simply completing a task. Have we not all had a big project or problem that we seem to have been working on forever, only to see we have so much to do still? God saw the same disappointment and frustration in the Israelites and gave Zechariah this message to encourage them. It is a reminder that in the face of adversity, when we might wish to throw in the towel, we must not despise the small progresses we are making.
Whether it’s getting the shoes off the floor in a small apartment or laying bricks to rebuild the temple and everything in between, God sees the effort we put in and takes joy in our little victories. So let us not despise these days of small things!