Little things add up.
Good stuff
or
bad stuff.
Things turn, topple or triumph because of small measures taken repeatedly over time.
The home is crafted
The marriage is enriched
The souls are stronger
The bodies are fitter
In our world of loud, fast and sensational; we forget this pace God has built.
With hi-speed photography and lapse-time, we now get to see within minutes, even seconds; and within the comforts of our home and ever shortening attention-spans. -
So if you are feeling discouraged that change is coming too slow, check what mode your camera is in; what lens you are using. Perhaps too much zoom on the details? Perhaps not enough light and the aperture is too small? Perhaps you are taking multiple exposures hoping to see significant change when it isn't time yet?
This story reminded me of the power of small things.
We can turn away and get busy with other stuff, urgent, attention-seeking, self-satisfying. But what would happen to mom, and what would our hearts miss as a result?
Grace laps gently and persistently at the shorelines of our lives and each time the waves sweep back, we are cleaner and sometimes we find wondrous deposits.
Over time, the shoreline gets redefined and our shape emerges.
But Grace must be allowed to arrive, to break upon the shore and disrupt it abit, to clean back, glass off ... Grace is not water in a cup but a coming of God upon our lives to invite us to that which we fail to see, and so fail to do.
Grace is Goodness' entrance in daily, seasonal, purposeful ways.
What small thing could you do today?
Good stuff
or
bad stuff.
Things turn, topple or triumph because of small measures taken repeatedly over time.
The home is crafted
The marriage is enriched
The souls are stronger
The bodies are fitter
In our world of loud, fast and sensational; we forget this pace God has built.
With hi-speed photography and lapse-time, we now get to see within minutes, even seconds; and within the comforts of our home and ever shortening attention-spans. -
the space shuttle that took nearly ten years reach the distant planet
the seed radical emerge, anchor, shoots grow out out from the grown, then leaf, bud, blossom and fruit
the spider spinning her intricate web and then trapping and storing her meal
So if you are feeling discouraged that change is coming too slow, check what mode your camera is in; what lens you are using. Perhaps too much zoom on the details? Perhaps not enough light and the aperture is too small? Perhaps you are taking multiple exposures hoping to see significant change when it isn't time yet?
My good friend has a fiesty mom who after many years grudgingly read some tracts and went to church. She professed Christ but afterwards did not enjoy going to church. Naturally, we dug around the details: did she really mean her response to Christ? Why are her old habits so hard to break? How is it she doesn't seem to show much spiritual hunger or interest?
The weeks dragged on to months. You can feel anxious, worried and angry.
Mom is getting older. She even had to go for surgery. My friend, busy as she is, felt it was important to be around for mom more. When she traveled, I sometimes called in to check on mom for her. They did simple things like watch TV, cook, eat. We prayed for mom.
A few weeks ago, my friend suggested that they could read the Bible together when they had time. Mom agreed! Then mom decided to go back to church too.
This story reminded me of the power of small things.
We can turn away and get busy with other stuff, urgent, attention-seeking, self-satisfying. But what would happen to mom, and what would our hearts miss as a result?
Grace laps gently and persistently at the shorelines of our lives and each time the waves sweep back, we are cleaner and sometimes we find wondrous deposits.
Over time, the shoreline gets redefined and our shape emerges.
But Grace must be allowed to arrive, to break upon the shore and disrupt it abit, to clean back, glass off ... Grace is not water in a cup but a coming of God upon our lives to invite us to that which we fail to see, and so fail to do.
Grace is Goodness' entrance in daily, seasonal, purposeful ways.
What small thing could you do today?
i love it jenni...and large photo is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDear Martha, i would think these past months you have had to keep doing a lot of small things to keep going. Thanks for stopping by and leaving encouragement!
DeleteLearning to be still and looking at the little things are often the hardest things to do. It's likened to a test of faith that may possibly take years before you might even see anything come out of it - this even if you have no expectations when you somehow found yourself in that situation in the first place. In such situations like this it often calls for trust. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard but not impossible! We do live each day trusting and hoping for all sorts of things...take care. Very few things are accidental. All things have Grace.
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