 |
APRIL 28, 2015
The Big Things are in the Small Things |
"So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31 (NIV)
I looked out my kitchen window and noticed a little bird had just landed on our bird feeder.
To be honest, I barely noticed the little creature. It wasn’t a bird to notice really. Grayish brown, small, unremarkable. It perched on the edge of the empty soda bottle bird feeder for just a moment before flying away.
Feeling guilty for the lack of birdseed, I called for the nearest of my three boys. Thankfully, my middle son was in earshot. He had never filled the feeder before on his own, so I sized him up to see if he was now tall enough to reach it since it hung from a ceiling hook on the front porch. Then, I sent him outside with a stool and instructions to grab the feeder and bring it inside.
Not long after, he reentered the kitchen. I helped him unscrew the top, place a funnel inside the opening, and pour some birdseed inside. My 9-year-old went back outside, and after three or four reaches, he hung the feeder back up.
He beamed with pride. He had fed the birds, and they would live another day because his provision had saved the day. His small action resulted in a big difference for the birds that visit our home.
The big things are in the small things.
That same morning, just a little while later, I sat at the kitchen table with my sons to have devotions before starting our school day.
And what was our Bible lesson about?
You guessed it.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care" (Matthew 10:29, NIV).
We opened our family devotional and read how God takes care of His children. We were reminded that there is no need to worry because the same God who cares for the birds of the air, cares deeply for His own, knows of our needs, and makes it His business to meet them.
As I reveled in a parenting moment where God had provided such a perfect illustration for our morning Bible time, my mother’s glory was abruptly cut short when my 6-year-old chimed in.
"So Mom, does that mean God is going to give me an iPod?"
What in the WORLD?
I felt laughter and tears bubbling up at the same time.
How did he miss the whole point?!?!
He was so consumed with his perception of a "big thing" that he missed the point entirely.
My friend, how do you and I miss the point?
At times, I am consumed with my needs, or better yet, my wants. I waste worry on fears that will never happen or give too much attention to desires that are not designed to satisfy. Thoughts of what I hope for sometimes consume me, and I miss the point — the beauty of a God who faithfully and fully meets every single one of my needs.
And that, dear one, is the point.
The big thing is that God consistently and lovingly meets us in the small things. While we might be tempted to focus on the things we want, it is so important to intentionally focus on how good He already is. His seemingly small actions of providing for us on a daily basis with clothes, food and shelter are, in truth, very big. Why? Because His "small" actions make a big difference for us, and the ones who live within our homes.
Lord God, I thank You so much for Your faithfulness in the small things. Please forgive me for being ungrateful and forgetting to show gratitude for Your goodness to me. You are constant in Your loving care. While I sometimes feel my life is "grayish brown, small and unremarkable," thank You for today’s reminder that I matter, that You see me, and that You make it Your business to meet my needs. Help me not to "miss the point" but to live with an intentional heart of thanksgiving. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Kingdom Woman by Tony Evans and Chrystal Evans Hurst will encourage and challenge you to be transformed by God’s truth, seek His best and move forward in the abundant life He has for you.
Visit Chrystal’s blog for more encouragement.
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
What is currently consuming your thoughts? What has been the object of your worry and concern, or the focus of your desires and hopes?
List the "small things" God has done in your life that really are big things. Will you intentionally give Him thanks today?
© 2015 by Chrystal Evans Hurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org