Do you ever feel like you don’t know where to start on a big task?
Some people, I know, just start somewhere. It’s like the old adage: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Others of us, however, put off even beginning. Whether the task is as small as cleaning out a cupboard or as large as a doctoral dissertation, I procrastinate.
Yesterday’s encouragement
Most mornings, I listen to an online devotion on the app, Lectio 365. The passage we are studying this week comes from John 6:1-15, the story of the feeding of the 5000 men (plus how many more women and children?).
Yesterday, I pondered the question Jesus posed to his disciple, Philip: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Surely Philip must have felt overwhelmed. Where does one ordinary man begin in catering for a crowd large enough to fill all seats in the Sydney Opera House?! (Apparently, the Sydney Opera House has a seating for about 5,700 people spread over six theatres.)
Meanwhile, Andrew (another disciple) spoke up with the offer of a generous boy’s packed meal of fish and bread. You know the rest of the story. Miraculously, it all worked out.
The writers of the devotional drew out the lesson that Jesus doesn’t need us to do his work, but that he invites us to participate in his work.
‘Missio Dei’ (the mission of God) is a phrase some Christians like to use. I’m one of those Christians. Yet at the same time, we then feel as if we are weighed down with responsibilities. We act as if it were ‘Missio Me’ rather than ‘Missio Dei.’
Just the same, I can’t imagine how Philip felt when Jesus posed to him the question, “Where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?” The Bible says that Jesus “… asked this only to test him [Philip], for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” (John 6:6 NIV) What would have been the ‘right answer’?!
Today’s reminder
That was yesterday. As the day went on, I visited a colleague who, like me, is also doing doctoral research. She is further along in her research than I am. She showed me how she is organising her reading on her computer. She literally has notes, highlighted themes and excerpts from hundreds, if not thousands, of articles and books at her fingertips. I was both impressed and intimidated.
Today, I began my devotional time by journalling about how overwhelmed I feel in my own academic work. Where do I even start? (I have a pile of reading with me, and intend to make a decent dent in it this week, though the days are slipping by quickly.) I pleaded with God “… to work in me to will and to want according to your good purpose.” (This is a frequent prayer of mine based on Philippians 2:13.)
Then I turned to my devotional app. Based on the same Bible passage, the emphasis this time was on the abundance of God. Beginning with a boy’s packed lunch of five small loaves and two small fish, not only was the crowd of thousands fed, but the disciples collected twelve baskets of leftover bread!
(It’s interesting that there was no leftover fish. And what did they do with the fish bones? Leave them on the ground? Did they eat the fish heads? Curious minds like mine want to know.)
I copied into my journal a prayer suggested by the Lectio 365 writers:
Lord, show me if there is an area of my life where a fear of not having or being enough is holding me back.
Help me to live with an abundance mindset, believing that you are the God of the immeasurably more….
Lectio 365 morning devotion for 3 February 2026. I confess to having changed one small punctuation mark in this quote.
Looking forward
The tasks before me haven’t decreased in intensity or size. However, I’m reminded afresh of two never-changing truths:
(1) We are privileged to play a part in Missio Dei – the mission of God. God gives me the privilege of interacting with people, reading, researching, writing academic papers and even (deep sigh) completing the compliance-related administrative tasks that are required in countries like Australia. Though I have a responsibility to play my part, the responsibility to succeed is not ultimately mine.
(2) God’s resources are unlimited. I am most definitely limited in focus-ability, intelligence, time, ability, finances and so much more. However, the one I serve is the same Jesus who multiplied two fish and five loaves and fed thousands. What’s more, he has been described as the One in whom, through whom and for whom all things were created! (Colossians 1:16) The limits I face fade into insignificance.
Today, I’m encouraged to just plug away, one bite at a time, at my academic work. Eventually, this elephant of a research project will be consumed. I see contributing to missiology through academia as a task God has given me during this chapter of life. And if that’s what God wants, he will enable me.
They are yesterday’s and today’s deep and meaningful thoughts. Tomorrow, I might need reminding of the above two truths again. Friends, when you next see me procrastinating, please remind me of this blog post.
