Do not despise your small beginning.

“Do not despise small beginnings.” Zechariah 4:10

The picture on the right was taken back in 2015. It was during the time of my last incarceration. The sheriff’s office chose two inmates to share their testimonies with an alternative school in hopes of deterring them from making the same wrong choices and heading down a path of destruction.

During that time, I had only been saved for a matter of months, but the Lord still chose to send me out to be used by Him. I hadn’t yet learned what it meant to walk in victory; and I hadn’t yet learned what it meant to fully surrender. I wish I could say that after this picture I walked in total freedom, but sadly that was not so. A short time later, after being released, I fell back into addiction, and I fell hard.

The picture on the left was taken in 2021. Six years later, and almost 5 of those years clean and sober, the Lord is still sending me out to testify about Him.

The difference between this picture and the last, is that I have learned what it means to walk in total victory, and I do know what it means to fully surrender. I may not have realized it back then, but the Lord had a plan and purpose for every situation and hardship I went through.

You may not feel like much is happening in your life right now. You may have backslidden and feel you are too far gone. Or you may just be starting out on your journey and desire to be used in greater ways…..

Hold tight, my friend. Do not despise your small beginning. Hold fast to the promise that God WILL use ALL things together for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Your story may not be ending – but just beginning. Embrace the process. ❤

Lord, I pray for the ones reading this who have backslidden and feel they have blown your plan for their lives. I pray that guilt, shame, and condemnation would fall off of them in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord, that no one is ever too far gone for you to reach. Thank you, Lord, that the restoration process has already begun. Use their testimonies as a reminder of where you’ve brought them from and for your glory. In Jesus name

By Jessica Hanson Thompson, DOTK Writing Community, Hope Harbor Ministries Program Director