“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
– Zechariah 4: 10
He replied, “…because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20-21
Sometimes when I am reading the Bible, I am amazed at the things that jump off the page to me: “the day of SMALL things!” Rejoice in the small things!!”
When I was a child, I was the runt of the bunch. When I was old enough to start school, my parents decided to hold me back for a year to see if I would grow a bit more.
I didn’t; all through grade school, we lined up by height. I always knew where I belonged — at the short end of the line. Nancy Jo was the shortest in the girls’ line, and she even towered over me, or so it seemed to me. Even when I played football in high school, the coach had me on the roster at 145 pounds – not so – I wrestled at 123 pounds all through high school. My lack of size never bothered me; Dad told me that Napoleon was also short.
Small things: Jesus even spoke of the value of faith the size of a mustard seed.
I grew up in the country near a small town. A small town where everyone knew who you were. A small town where everyone watched out for you and protected you.
Small things can be a blessing. As I have moved around the country, I have frequently looked for a church in those new towns.
In my experience, a new person is not always welcomed in a large-congregation church. They seem to have their own group of friends, and strangers are invisible to them.
Small can be good; small congregations seem friendlier and more welcoming to strangers. Even when you are only on vacation, people welcome you and ask where you are from.
When I was stationed on the DMZ in Korea, the small local Korean church welcomed Alma and me. Each week when we returned, the local schoolteacher let us know what scriptures were being read so we could follow along. We still could not understand the sermon, but it felt good to be there.
We were welcomed, even though they knew our stay would be only a year. We were welcomed as fellow Christians.
Small things: a smile and a welcome reach-out. Yes, I rejoice in small things. Please remember the small things. A smile and a welcoming heart may seem like a small thing to give, but it can be a huge thing to receive.
Here, by the Grace of God.
Bob Beck is a lay leader at his church. He writes on faith for The Chronicle.
