Little Things DO Matter!

Sometimes the smaller things in life have a way of speaking volumes to us. 

I remember being in our first church as a solo pastor - 1000 km from family.  We were far from what was familiar, even though we were making some incredible friends and loved where we were living.  Christmas came along, and we wondered what we were going to do - my wife was working, so we had enough to get by on, but as we all know, Christmas usually means a lot of money going out!  We were setting up our Christmas tree, and heard a knock at the door.  A courier was delivering a parcel; from whom, we didn't know.  We opened it up and it was from a church we'd never heard of, in a place we'd never heard of.  Apparently, every year they sponsored a pastor and his/her family from a church they considered to be a 'missions' church, and this year, we were that family.  There were so many small parcels, all wrapped individually, with our names on them.  We put them under the tree, which definitely helped fill  up the space!  On Christmas Day, we opened them and were amazed by what we received; it's almost as if they knew us and what to get us!  What a blessing - probably a fairly little thing for the church, but a big thing for our family...

This same Christmas, we were only able to give our children a very minimal amount of money to buy gifts for one another.  At their school, there was a 'flea market' day, and this is where my children bought the gifts.  Each one - a small matchbox toy car, a dice with names on it, a tiny kaleidescope, a small magnifying glass shaped like a bug - was individually wrapped, and put under the tree.  When I opened each gift, they gave an explanation of what it was and what it was meant to do - I'm telling you, I was toast, my tear ducts drained that morning!  I put these things in a small bowl, and kept it on my office desk at the church.  Now, almost 15 years later, it's still on my desk, and always will be - it's love sitting in a bowl!  In this case, it was a BIG thing for them to buy these LITTLE things, but it meant so much to us...

It's the little things - a smile, a thank-you, a prayer (okay, this is a big thing, but...), an encouraging word, a positive attitude... or a cup of coffee/tea/water - that make a difference.  Jesus recognized what a servant did when He told him:

Matthew 25:23
You have been faithful with a few small things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!

You see, the little things really DO matter, and they really DO make a BIG difference!  How often do we pass someone by and not give that smile, or not thank them, encourage them, pray with or for them?  How often do we underestimate the power in a simple touch, smile, kind word, listening ear, compliment - or an act of caring.  Each of these might seem like something little, but any one might change a life around.

So today, as you go through whatever you are doing, ask yourself:

• Who do I know/see that I might be able to share something - a smile, kind word, etc. - with today?
• How might I be able to make a big difference in someone's life by simply doing something more?
• At the end of the day, will I be found faithful in the little things?

So don't be afraid to just do something for someone - whatever it may be.  You never know, it might make a difference, and it might even change their life!  Remember, love is a verb - you have to give it to get it, and oh the big returns we get for our small investments...  and that's because...

Little things DO matter!

PRAYER
God, help me to be more open to the need around me.  Help me to be open to do something about the need around me.  I want to be found faithful in the little things.
Amen.