How God Develops You (Part 4)

Stewarding the Small

This is the part of the journey where many of us get stuck.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the right things but remain stagnant in your relationship with the Lord or unclear in your calling, this is usually why.

You love God.
You know He speaks to you.
You are trying to live faithfully.

But something feels like it’s missing.

Most of us are looking for God in miracles, money, and massive movements.

But God develops us in the small.

And your ability to steward the small determines what happens next.

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Fruit vs. Seeds

We are often looking for fully ripe fruit.

God is often handing us seeds.

Seeds don’t look impressive.
They require cultivation.
They require patience.

David was a shepherd boy with a slingshot long before he was a king with an army (1 Samuel 17). Working a slingshot was not glamorous. It was not celebrated. But it was preparation. That hidden skill became the seed that positioned him to face Goliath.

The seed rarely looks like destiny.

It looks like a recurring conversation.
A new role that doesn’t fully make sense.
An opportunity that feels inconvenient but persistent.
A person God keeps bringing across your path.

The seed is usually right in front of you.

But you have to see it and take hold.

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Obedience

There are two phases here.

The first is foundational obedience.
Have you done the last thing God told you to do?

Sometimes growth isn’t about discovering something new. It’s about finishing what was already given.

But for some, especially those called to great impact, obedience becomes specific development.

God isn’t just shaping you as a disciple.
He is shaping you uniquely, for an assignment.

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Character Development

This is where many high-achieving women struggle.

The kingdom does not operate like the world.

You cannot earn promotion through work ethic alone.

God is not looking at effort first.
He is looking at heart posture.

And sometimes the small assignment is not about the task at all.

It is about refining intention.
Breaking subtle pride.
Realigning motivation.

You may be successful in the world while still being under construction in the kingdom.

God will not bypass character development simply because you are capable.

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Gift Identification & Development

Often the women I serve carry a similar mix of gifts: faith, leadership, and wisdom.

You already have a clear professional trajectory based on your education and experience.

But God may give you assignments that do not match your résumé.

And yet, you will recognize your gifts working there.

In ministry.
In business.
In local community.

But it requires a yes.

A yes to discomfort.
A yes to inconvenience.
A yes to serve those who may never elevate your status.

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A Small Assignment

Years ago, I was at Trader Joe’s with my boys on a Saturday. The store was busy. The aisles were full.

An older white woman and I ended up in the same aisle, reaching for the same product. We exchanged a few words. Nothing memorable. She moved on, and so did I.

A moment later, in the middle of the noise and activity, I heard the Lord say:

Give her a ride home.

I assumed I was imagining it. So I prayed what felt safest:

God, if this is You, make it undeniably clear.

I didn’t see her again in the store and assumed I had either misheard or missed the moment.

When I walked outside, she was there — her cart full of groceries, waiting for a taxi.

This time, I noticed something I hadn’t seen inside.

She was leaning on a cane.

I offered her a ride. She looked surprised, then accepted.

Her house was directly on my way home. I didn’t detour. I didn’t turn into a neighborhood. I simply pulled over on the street I normally take home.

The obedience cost me almost nothing.

But it changed something in me.

That day taught me what I didn’t yet have language for.

God was training my ear to hear Him — and my heart to respond.

Not through platforms.
Not through visibility.
Not through formal church assignments.

Through the ordinary.

Jesus says in Luke 16:10:

“Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.”

For years, I thought that this verse was only about money or responsibility.

Now I understand something deeper.

Faithfulness is not measured by outcome.

It is measured by response.

Small obedience determines what you are entrusted with next.

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Conclusion

God’s development process is rarely dramatic, but it is deliberate.

He meets you where you are.
He teaches you through how you’re wired.
He trains your attention before He entrusts you with an assignment.
And He tests your obedience in the small before He ever expands your influence.

If you’re questioning, wondering, or unclear, it may not be that you are behind or doing something wrong.

It may be that you are being developed.