running with a candle

a fire to grow must be stoked.
a seed planted must be watered.
a story starts with a word.
a journey opens with a step.

the beginnings feel slow,
they need guarding and tending.
seasons of small are fragile but not weak,
packed with promise and potential.
what i’m cultivating today will bear fruit in the future.

the small starts hidden,
dark, dirty soil,
single spark meets lazy wick.
it may not be ready for the elements yet, but with time,
it will eventually breakthrough,
it will not only stand on its own, but change the surrounding ecosystem.

there’s a slowly and a suddenly.
there’s a “wait” and a “go”.
time’s grasps aren’t ever fully calibrated.
don’t despise the small,
don’t discount the wait,
beauty takes time.

use the little in my hands,
it might be big someday.

i can’t eat the seed,
but there’s something to hunger for.
i may not be able to run with a candle,
but it does change the room.

zechariah 4:10:
"do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..."