Taking the first step is necessary to find greatness

The crowds gathered in the spring of 1884 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., prepared to be astounded at the latest attraction. Once they purchased the nickel ticket, each rider descended a 50-foot tower, rising and falling down the hilly 600-foot track at an astonishing rate of 6 mph. Le Marcus Thompson's Switchback Railway was a huge success, earning him hundreds of dollars a day. All from a nickel ride.

Roller coasters have come a long way since their debut. Every passing year, new technologies and braver riders challenge designers and engineers to make the coasters bigger, taller, longer and, of course, faster. Every turn is exhilarating, and each loop ushers its own thrill. The wait of two hours or more pales in comparison for the few minutes of the ride. Thompson and the modern G-force pulling roller coasters owe their beginnings to the somewhat humbling Russian Ice Slides. Everything big seems to start out small.

Jesus told a story in which some dishonest men in the crowd were trying not to reveal they were hanging on every word he said, only to quickly realize that they were the main characters in the story. Toward the end of the story he says, "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities." (Luke 16:10) They knew immediately he was talking about them.

The principle he was sharing was that the seemingly insignificant is really significant. It is easy to convince ourselves that those small things that seem to go by unnoticed are just unimportant. But they are more important than we realize. The small things and our diligence in approaching them help us get better so we can handle the bigger things that come our way.

Often the hardest action to take is the first one. Without getting better in the first step, we cannot get bigger in the second. Giving diligent attention to the seemingly small things builds the character, competence and courage to tackle the big things.

Jesus, even if you are uncertain of all he claimed to be, is pointing out the priority of starting. Theodore Roosevelt is attributed with saying, "Do what you can with what you can while you can." He must have heard that story, too.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more from him at www.robhurtgen.wordpress.com.