Send us Fan Mail Beginning is exciting. But what happens after the first step? Last week, I shared one of my favorite scriptures, Zechariah 4:10: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” But small beginnings don’t stay beginnings forever. Eventually, they ask something more of us: consistency, courage, and the willingness to keep showing up. In this episode of Small Beginnings, I’m sharing what God has been teaching me about being willing to be a beginner—even later in life. After stepping outside my comfort zone in a women’s golf tournament, I found myself thinking about my own desire to succeed. When does pursuing excellence become pressure to prove ourselves? When does wanting to win keep us from enjoying the gift of simply getting to participate? Maybe the real victory isn’t always coming in first. Sometimes the win is that I showed up. I was obedient. I was courageous. I learned something. I kept going. And after nearly 50 years since high school, I’m learning there is something beautiful about slowing down enough to enjoy the life God has given me—to stop and smell the roses, sit on the bench for a while, and notice the sunrise and sunset instead of always rushing toward the next accomplishment. We’ll also talk about why our small beginnings need rhythms if they’re going to grow. Jesus Himself had rhythms of withdrawing, praying, returning, and serving. Maybe what God has begun in you doesn’t need a giant leap. Maybe it needs ten minutes every morning. One page. One walk. One prayer. One painting. One faithful step at a time. I’m living this out again as I begin something new myself: Painting Our Prayers, a women’s Bible study where we’ll gather around the Psalms, listen for God’s voice, pray, and respond through watercolor. Because I’m learning that we never really graduate from new beginnings. God still speaks. He still invites us into unfamiliar places. And sometimes, He may be calling us to something creative—or even something that feels impossible. So what is your next faithful step? You don’t have to see the whole journey. You don’t have to be the best person in the room. And you don’t have to prove anything. Be faithful with what God has placed in your hands, create a rhythm that makes room for it, and trust Him with the harvest. In this episode, we’ll talk about: Being willing to be a beginnerPursuing excellence without carrying the pressure of perfectionWhy comparison can steal the joy of growthCreating simple rhythms for the things God is asking you to nurtureRecognizing victories that never show up on a scoreboardReleasing the outcome and trusting God with the harvestTaking your next faithful step—even when you can’t see where it will leadIf God has been stirring something in your heart—a painting, a prayer, a book, a ministry, a business, or something you can’t quite explain yet—I hope this episode reminds you that you don’t need the whole plan. You just need the courage to take the next faithful step. Listen to this week’s episode of Small Beginnings with Sara Thurman Price, and if you’re ready to explore what it looks like to say yes to the creative impossible, my book Small Beginnings: A Journey to the Impossible shares more of my own journey of hearing God, beginning before I felt qualified, and discovering what He can do with one small yes.
