We’ve all heard the expression, “A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.”

This weekend we enjoyed a beautiful snowstorm, and as with the first small step of a journey, that blizzard began with one small snowflake. Mary and I were outside when she spotted a flake in the air and said, “Is it snowing?”

I didn’t see anything and said, “I don’t think so.”

But soon there was one more and then another, and sure enough, millions followed. Insignificant beginnings can reach sizable proportions and end up having considerable influence. Our weekend blizzard got so severe it completely shut down the highways at the southern end of Lake Michigan, bringing everybody’s car to a standstill for hours. And it all began with one snowflake.

Many of life’s important events start just like that, so small they go unnoticed. Take Noah’s flood. That global calamity of mountain-deep water began with one raindrop. In other categories, a college degree begins with one class; a 50 year marriage begins with one vow; a skyscraper begins with one cornerstone; a marathon begins with one stride; and a human life begins with one cell.

Even the creation of God’s Universe began with one word.

But unlike our small steps, all power was embodied in that first word, as it is in all of God’s words, more power than even a category 5 hurricane. And even hurricane power is minor compared to what’s behind every one of God’s words. Were we to thoroughly understand how vast this power is and what he can do with it, we wouldn’t have the courage to get out of bed in the morning.

But interestingly, God says his power “is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, we’re not to stress about how powerful he is. Instead we’re to believe him when he offers to use bits of it for good in our weak lives.

In trying to understand this better, I thought about a gigantic, powerful horse. I pictured him rearing on his hind legs, muscles rippling, head shaking, mane flying, people backing away from such dominant power. Then I pictured that same horse on another day, standing calmly in his corral while a toddler wanders toward him. The massive horse leans low and lightly touches his soft muzzle to the child’s cheek, his muscles relaxed, his power in check.

Although this is an inadequate picture of God’s power and his command over it, it does help me understand a little. He’s willing to control his infinite power enough to participate in our small beginnings. He can gently touch our lives in ways that will, with enough touches, eventually revolutionize us. It’s much like the first step on a long journey or the first snowflake in a big blizzard.

One step with him can grow into thousands. And that life journey is one I want to take.

“The gospel… is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)