Small Things

Standing on the frozen ground, Dan strummed his guitar, and I sang an old hymn. Tears were streaming down faces of complete strangers as we watched them bury their loved one. Afterwards we got in the icy car and started talking about how moving the ceremony was, but that we were in the most crazy, busy time of our life and we should probably refrain from more comitments. Not more than a few weeks go by and I found myself singing, “How Great Thou Art at a small bible study for women. These two events are just slivers of the “yes Lord” Dan and I have made over the years, even in our busiest times. When I think of them, most of them were very “small things” in the eye of what the world says is “big things.” 

This week, I heard the Lord whisper, “the small things matter to my heart.” How much difference does one small yes make in the Kingdom of God? My perspective is changing after years and years of saying yes to things that I never thought mattered a great deal or made an impact. Luke 16:10 says, “One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.”  I say this to encourage us all that when we say yes, no matter how “small” it is, God is pleased. Isn’t He the one who turned five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 people? God also takes our small yes’s and if we remain faithful in them, he multiplies them to new places, and new depths. He enlarges our tents and strengthens our stakes.   

Growing up, my dad always told me to say yes to God, no matter how big or small! Faithfully waking up to make your husband and kids breakfast is a good yes. Saying yes to a neighbor who needs help is a good yes. Saying yes to someone needing your expertise and gifting’s is a good yes. The beautiful part of this “small yes” mentality is that it has opened more doors than I could have ever imagined in my life. It has given me new friendships and connections that lead to new doors and new experiences. God has also taken the small yeses and shown His abundance and goodness through the process. 

I remember a very small church in Montana invited me to do a worship night, just me and the old keyboard. At the end of the night, the pastor asked me if I could possibly come back the next morning to lead their worship as they did not have a worship team. I said yes, even though I felt tired and did not have any songs prepared. I showed up the next morning, we worshipped Jesus and that pastor gave me an envelope at the end of the service. Later in the day, I opened it to find an unexpected check that was far beyond a copious amount. Feeling overwhelmed by the gift, I started crying amazed that this tiny, beautiful church would do that for me. 

Now, not every small yes ends that way. Most end with a smile and thank you, or it could end with nothing at all, but that is not why we say yes. We say yes to small things because we are madly in love with Jesus and when we say yes to others, we say yes to Him. Remember that the “small yeses” are pleasing to God. He takes great delight when we take a step of faith in those small things, remembering they are actually big things for His kingdom sake. Also remember, God isn’t going to cause you to become so busy with all the small things that you turn into a tired, weary women who just can’t say yes one more time. He is a good Father that gives us exactly what He knows we can handle and when there is a healthy small yes, there is still healthy small no’s in the mix. God will be faithful to show you which it is.

 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21