Little Things // Further Notes

"We have promised the Lord our loyalty and lifelong obedience

'at any cost.' We are not prepared for the 'low' costs of

spiritual life, the petty sacrifices we must make daily

if we are to follow faithfully."

- Elisabeth Elliot

I wrote a post on this subject recently, and since then, the Lord has continued to impress upon my heart the importance of the small things...

...and He has not failed in giving me opportunities to live out the lesson.

I'm afraid that I have failed several of those teaching moments. I experienced an entire string of little tests this morning, and after the last one, I finally recognized that my heart was not in the right place. Each test came in the form of one of those "common little rubs of life" that Amy Carmichael speaks of. The "silly little nothings, things you are ashamed of minding one scrap. Yet they can knock a strong man [or woman] over and lay him [or her] very low."

I can certainly nod in agreement. I did when I included the quote in my first post, but now I can testify by experience.

Why, you might ask, am I writing so much about the little things? Because, as I'm slowly realizing, that's what life IS.

It's the little things that constitute the greater thing called life.  The seconds that tick by, the words that come out of our mouths, our actions - everything that combines to make a day, a month, a year, a lifetime.

The "little things" won't be going away anytime soon, so it is in our best interest to learn to deal with them properly.

"It is a very good thing to learn to take things by the right handle.

An inward grouse is a devastating thing. I expect you know this,

we all do; but it is extraordinary how the devil tries to 'get' us on

the ordinary road of life. But all is well if only we are in Him, deep

in Him, and He in us our daily strength and joy and song."

- Amy Carmichael

It's the little things that the Lord is concerned about. How we handle them reflects the overall attitude of our hearts. If we can't be faithful in the moments of life that we often deem insignificant, then we will not be ready for greater things.

British theologian Campbell Morgan viewed ministry as "the unofficial, untabulated little loving kindnesses of life" (paraphrased by Amy Carmichael). Your ministry, in other words, begins right where you are. Your ministry is to the people you interact with in your daily sphere. You don't have to go to Africa or India to "find" someone to minister to. The people you share your home with - parents, siblings, roommates. Co-workers, the barista at the coffee shop, and the cashier at the grocery store. How you respond to these people through your words, your body language, or a simple smile constitute ministry. How you demonstrate Christ to people, even in the smallest possible way is a ministry.

Do we meet the little things in life with an attitude of humility and faithfulness, willing to obey Christ in every area of our lives? Do we see everything that comes across our path as a chance to die to ourselves and say yes to the will of God? Do we realize that our response to the little things is where the Lord can teach us meekness, love, gentleness, joy, compassion, kindness, self-sacrifice, and patience? Are we letting the Holy Spirit produce these fruits in us through a moment-by-moment walk with Him, or are we holding out for a grand experience to display how we've "learned" spiritual lessons? It is little stones that build a great wall and a little spark that starts a great fire. Don't despise the little things.

"Make me faithful every hour of every day

in that which looks trivial at the moment."

- Elisabeth Elliot