Small Matters

“It doesn’t look like much, but it matters;

It doesn’t seem significant, but it will be;

It doesn’t appear of much value, but just wait;

For in time ALL the small things matter.”
Loren Thornburg

It’s about an inch long and a few centimeters wide, but when this clamp rusted off the back of the fridge a slow drip of water began.  You couldn’t see it or hear it, but over time you couldn’t miss the leak that soaked the closet behind the connecting wall.  Three weeks later after hours of fans, days of work, and hundreds of dollars the house was restored.   It’s hard to believe that something so small caused something so damaging.  Yet, isn’t this how much of life operates both for building up and tearing down? The small things matter because they don’t stay small.  They grow over time in whichever direction they began, starting with one small step.  I find encouragement in knowing that the dream that seems impossible to reach is attainable over time starting with movement, however small in that direction.  I also find caution in knowing that damage begins with just one little thing.  What I thought wasn’t a big deal or didn’t matter because it was insignificant in size, does in fact make a difference.  We must attend to the small things.  What are your small things?

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Matthew 13: 31-32 NLT

Jesus cares about the little things.  The message of this parable is in the smallness of a seed that is to all appearances insignificant, yet grows into something much larger than expected or seemingly possible. The invitation of Jesus, to believe and follow Him seems simple and small, yet when we really trust in Christ it is revolutionary and transforming.  His life in us brings about the most unexpected and radical change in our lives.  Mustard plants, are not trees, but are yellow-flowered bushes that paint the hillsides.  However, Jesus wants you to know that He can take your smallness and grow it into more than you thought possible.  A lowly plant becomes a tree of power and authority in the hands of Jesus.  So let us be content with small seeds and small steps, trusting Jesus, knowing that He can grow us into something seemingly impossible, full of life and beauty.  

(Some of these facts and thoughts are taken from www.RayStedman.org)