It has been said that “good” is the enemy of “great.” I agree with that. As humans, we are often inclined to give up when the going gets tough, settle for less because aiming higher is, well, just plain hard. But I have been thinking a lot lately about the reverse of that statement. I have been asking myself this question:

“Could it be that ‘great’ is also the enemy of ‘good’? Is it possible, in our desire to do great things (for God, ourselves or others) we often overlook the simple good works that are right before us?”

I love that we serve a God that can do, “exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could think or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20) I firmly believe that He deposits heaven-breathed dreams in our hearts that also speak to our natural desire for significance. But many times our focus on a vision for the future can cause us to look over the simple acts of goodness and kindness that are waiting to be done in our “now.” Ironically, it’s those seemingly small “good” works that are the stepping stones to the “great” works we are dreaming of. It’s as if we are looking at the landing wondering how to get there, somehow missing that first step at our feet.

So remember today that goodness, no matter how small, is never wasted. Walk the steps of goodness, and one day you will look up and find that the great things you were dreaming of have somehow come to pass.