The Bible and the Headlines: News You Can Use – Small wins

By Editor | January 31, 2024

By David Bachelor, PhD

The first month of 2024 is gone, and in the media, commentators took this milestone to assess progress towards this year’s hopes and resolutions. Among these pieces were several self-help articles for folks already in the red. A common suggestion was to appreciate “small wins.”

Forbes started this mantra before the new year had even arrived. The December 21^st edition carried, “How ‘Quick Wins’ Will Build Positive Momentum In The New Year.” The author stated, “By getting some ‘W’s [wins] on the board each morning, or early in your day, you’ll build momentum… then when an obstacle or resistance pops up you’ll have enough “speed” to roll right through it… toward your goals.” Studies support this strategy.

The January 25^th edition of the real estate newsletter RISMedia carried the article, “Thoughts on Leadership: Unveiling the Power of Small Steps for Lasting Change.” The author explored the Japanese word “kaizen” which he defined as, “… making small, gradual changes to transform one’s life.” The article presented these little victories as having metaphysical properties, “Once a small win is accomplished, it sets in motion forces that favor another small win.” In the spirit of kaizen, as a person begins to see a pattern of success, they gain confidence to tackle something bigger.

The Wall Street Journal featured several small wins opinion pieces. In its January 29^th edition there was, “The Productivity Boost Missing from Your To-Do List.” Even though the author places “to-do list” in her title, she recommends instead an “already done” list which can “… give you that burst of motivation that to-do lists sometimes fail to inspire.” According to the author, a chronicle of small wins, no matter how minute the accomplishment, is more effective in boosting productivity than the shortest to-do list for future action.

The Bible contains innumerable examples of the power of small wins. The Lord used a series of small wins to give the mighty citadel of Jericho to the Israelites. For six days they merely had to walk once around Jericho (Jos 6:14). Even on the seventh day, the Israelites only were required to take seven laps and shout to conquer the city (Jos 6:16). On another occasion a mighty general who was afflicted with leprosy was told to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River in order to be healed (2 Ki 5:10). These instructions seemed too simple for him (2 Ki 5:11). His advisors corrected his thinking by asking the general, “If you had been ordered to do some great thing, would you not have done it? how much more then, when you are told, ‘Be washed and become clean?’” (2 Ki 5:13). The general did this small act and was healed (2 Ki 5:14). Later on in the history of Israel, after Jerusalem had been destroyed and the people carried off into exile, God had the prophet Zechariah remind His people about small wins, “Who dares despise the day of small things when the eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the high priest laying the first stone in the foundation of the new temple?” (Zec 4:10). ‘Small wins’ are even present in Jesus’ example of the kingdom of God being like a seed, “First the leaf, then the head, then the full grain appears” (MK 4:10).

Believers recognize that ‘small wins’ hold no metaphysical property. The reason they can accomplish great things is because they are the children of the God who has already achieved the ‘big win’ for them. Even the salvation of their soul (John 3:16).

Posted in Lifestyles