Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, Zechariah 4:10
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It is not a small thing to finally begin working in His ‘ministry’ (doing what He has asked you to do personally for Him) for His Glory. If one is small or different then there will always come the bullying and being despised by others which is very distressing for the individual, but with God… we find He seems to choose those kinds of people in which to display His glory, He chooses those who have no glory in themselves.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:10
God has always sent His ‘chosen’ (those who accept His invitation) through a refining process that strips the individual of all their own glory. Moses had forty years in the desert, Joseph had a wrongful prison sentence, and each had to learn and confess their own inadequacies before Him to become that instrument for the display of His glory and salvation. Even Jesus went into the wilderness after His baptism with the Holy Spirit. Paul had a ‘thorn in the flesh’. Peter had a way of speaking without thinking.
Sometimes it takes years for the Lord to get us sufficiently emptied, weak and small, so that we can bear His glory in our lives, and that may explain why some of us have went through certain difficult challenges in His dealings with us. When He has got us small enough, and sufficiently weak and empty then there is a chance for the working of His Holy Spirit to display His glory through us.
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4