“Beginners celebrate humility and embrace curiosity at every turn.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 13, 2025
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zechariah 4:10a, NLT
In life, rarely is it celebrated to be a beginner. It’s fine to begin, but the aim is almost always to quickly move beyond a beginner to more advanced levels of knowledge or skill. Yes, you start as a beginner golfer, but the hope is that through time and discipline, your game is notably improved. You may be a beginner cook, but after a year or two of trial and error, your meals should have advanced well beyond where you started. You may lose a good bit of money when first learning to invest in stocks, but eventually you should reach a level where you are able to navigate the market with a discerning eye and great skill.
And while there are countless other examples in which we can and should move from beginner to expert, I’m less and less convinced that the spiritual life is one of them.
There is a great blessing to be found when we embrace “beginner status” in our life with God. In our lives of prayer, we do not graduate from being a beginner but instead receive it as a posture meant to guide and shape the whole of our lives. Beginners celebrate humility and embrace curiosity at every turn. Beginners maintain a healthy perspective on who God is and who they are not. Beginners know they will never “master” God or the life he invites them to lead.
Do we grow in our life of faith? Of course, and this is to be celebrated as evidence of the transforming grace of God at work in our midst. But we do not grow with an aim to reach some advanced status or elite level. Growth, for the Christian, is measured by an increase in humility, charity, and awareness of our own faults and need for the healing medicine of the Lord. So, let us seek to grow in these areas while at the same time receiving the blessing of being a beginner.
Prayer
Father, remind us today that we are always beginners, for we never graduate from our need for your mercy and love, through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Application
Reflect throughout your day today on the blessing and joy that comes from being a beginner.
Related Reading
Matthew 18:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:5
Worship Resource
Aaron Williams: Abide
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