Rainstorms and Ropes
Don't do something great today. Just do a few little things.
A mighty rainstorm that dumps inches of rain flooding roads and swamping rivers is made up of many tiny raindrops, each of which would create no flood.
A strong rope that pulls a load or ties down heavy cargo is made up of many thin threads, each of which would snap under such pressure.
What is a great faith made of? Where can you find a meaningful life? In the little things. One quote I heard the other day said, “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.”
A great football player may not be Super Bowl MVP but he completes each of the sprints past the finish line and executes the hundreds of repetitive drills with game day passion. A great mother may not be enshrined in a hall of fame but she wipes tears and changes diapers and cooks meals and runs errands often without thanks but always with tireless love.
A great Christian may not be recognized by a shiny halo or rewarded with a picture-perfect life but a great Christian does lots of little things like tuning into the troubles of someone having a bad day or pausing to pray for help to say the right thing or taking care to not waste the resources of God’s creation inappropriately.
A great Christian is made up of not great strength but of little bits of resolve and perseverance and patience and forgiveness.
We look at Jesus and typically measure his greatness by his supernatural feats of virgin birth, miraculous healings, crucifixion and resurrection. But add all these up and they contribute only a portion of his greatness. Add to these the little acts of kindness Jesus showed to widows and the out-of-his-way attention he paid to the lonely and the willingness to suffer shame when coming to the aid of a prostitute and the prayers of thanks he spoke before a meal. These acts of Jesus save us as much as his sacrificial death, all of them performed to fulfill the life and death we are not able to produce on our own and, mysteriously, miraculously, now filling us with his divine love and power to do the same.
Don’t do something great today. Just do a few little things.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I can’t always offer you much, and I can’t always perform great works of service, and I can’t always produce a faith that can move mountains. But I can always - with your help - offer a little, perform the small tasks, and produce a faith that trusts like a naïve child. Change my understanding to see that what is weak, lowly, and humble is great in your kingdom. Adjust my expectations so that I strive not for one accomplishment that is considered mighty but rather for many unnoticeable acts of faith and love and kindness. Amen.