THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS

Photo by Ralph Felzer

THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS

Have you ever wrestled with the thought that you're just not doing enough?  Or that all the things you spend your days on just don't ever seem to add up to very much?  Or that you'll never really change the world or even the lives of those you spend your days with in any significant, meaningful sort of way?  If that's you, I want to encourage you today!

If you know Mary Brack very well you know that every January she chooses a word to be the focus of the year ahead.  Some of her words in previous years have been: Fruit, Be, Rest, Sacred.  (I'd like to hear whether any of you have annual habits like this–feel free to share them in the Comments below!)

I had never done what Mary did, but when I was on a personal retreat last January, I thought it would be wonderful if I could find a way to linger over God's Word and in His presence throughout my ordinary days in just the same way I do it when I'm on retreat: no rush, no hurry, free to just linger over a verse, or look out the window, or pay attention to the birds at the feeder, or the trees swaying in the breeze, and let my mind and heart slow down to the pace of nature around me.  (I'm not talking about gobs of time here–only minutes, not hours–this is more a state of mind that I wanted to take back with me into daily life.)

There had to be a way to carry that retreat-experience into my daily life.  So I decided, like Mary, to choose a word that fit the longing I had on retreat:  Linger.  And you know what?  It was wonderful!  It was so helpful for aligning the pace of my daily life and all of its commitments and activities and various other scheduled things.  I found that starting the day intentionally focused on lingering in God's presence, without allowing myself to feel rushed or pressured into the rest of the day, really was possible!  And enriching!  And calming!

Who would have thought that such a small daily reminder could make such a difference?  Doesn't it seem like most of our days are filled with "small things," whether they feel meaningful or not?  We launch new resolutions and work up fresh determination, but never see any real progress.  Sound familiar?  I know.  Me too.  

So when I came across a book a few months ago called Tiny Habits, I was intrigued.  The author said that where most people go off the rails trying to change or improve their lives is by aiming way too high.  Instead of trying to get ripped abs, or run a marathon, or lose 50 pounds, we should focus on much smaller–actually tiny–habits.  The author had wanted to get in better shape so in order to practice a tiny habit of his own he decided that every time he used the restroom he would do two pushups.  Very small.  Very practical.  And very do-able. 

So I thought I'd try it too.  I've shared before about being haunted by the calling to write this one particular book, but I've started and started, and started again.  Over and over.  Fresh start.  New perspective.  More determination.  A different plan.  A better plan.  It just seems over the years to have been one small thing after another, no headway, no difference, no progress.

Enter tiny habits.  I decided that I would take 15 minutes right after my quiet time in the morning (since I do this very nearly every morning, that time is already built in).  I wasn't sure what kind of real, meaningful writing I'd be able to do in just 15 minutes, but what did I have to lose?  The worst case scenario would be that I write for one hour and forty-five minutes a week.  To me, that sounds pretty pitiful, but you know what?  It was right around one hour and forty-five minutes a week more than I was writing at the time!

And you know what else?  I've been doing it!  And I have momentum and clarity and direction that I haven't had for a very long time.  The thing is, you don't have to stop at two push-ups or fifteen minutes or whatever.  Just set a tiny goal, do it, and watch what happens.

All this reminds me of our "two minute" exercise from Sunday mornings over the last few months.  I'd like to hear if any of the rest of you have worked this "tiny habit" into your life, but I have, and I can tell you that two minutes of simply offering myself to God, of intentionally giving Him permission to work in my heart and life, my commitments and relationships–"Lord, whatever You want to do in me, have at it–I give you permission to get to work on me in whatever way You see fit"–can make a world of difference.  You see, Jesus is very polite.  The vast majority of the time, He won't just barge into your life, He'll wait for your invitation–and then get to work!  Try it and see!  The Lord is good and He desires nothing but good for us.  What do you have to lose?

So, in the spirit of "small things," let me go back to Mary's word-of-the-year plan.  I had thought my own focus last year on "Linger" was just a one off, but then a reading came to me during Advent from Zechariah 4:10, "For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel."  It might sound a little weird, but I was really struck by that phrase: "the day of small things."

I felt a little rebuke when I read that.  Do you?  How often, O Lord, have I despised the day of small things?  How often have I beaten myself up over failing to get any writing done?  How often have I missed the opportunity to lend a helping hand for just two measly minutes?  

Most of us know the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, but fewer of us know the story of Ezra (whose calling was to re-focus the hearts and minds of the people on worship and listening to the Word of God).  And hardly anybody knows who in the world Zechariah is!  Zechariah's purpose was similar: to encourage the king of Israel at the time–Zerubbabel–to rebuild the temple.  All three projects were of great importance!  The temple, the city walls, and the people's hearts for worship and the Word.

Every single one of these three men's days was utterly filled with small things.  And we've already talked about how discouraging it can be to be immersed in small things day after day.  But what is God's word to these guys?  "Don't despise the day of small things!"

I know all sorts of people who don't think they're making a difference, who want to live more heroic lives, who want to leave the world better than it was when they came into it.  But how do you measure that?  More often than not, we look at the big, historical movers and shakers whose names are all over the history books.  But most real, meaningful differences get made in "day of small things"–the little conversations you have while going from one place to another, the kind words or simple deeds you do through the day.  Sure, you've got somewhere else to get to, but … I'll just help this lady with her groceries, or smile at the cashier, or walk a few yards with the neighbor's son who's getting off the school bus.

You know, Billy Graham gave his life to Christ because an usher (no one knows his name) found a seat for him when he was on his way out because there was nowhere to sit.  The world is a different place today than it might have been not so much because of Billy Graham but because of that nameless usher.  

Remember the old widow Jesus observed in the Temple?  He "looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on'" (Luke 21:1-4).  We dare not despise the day of small things!

And how do we even measure "small things" and "big things"?  I think the secret to answering this question lies in the Level and the Plumbline.  You see, the vast majority of the time we look "horizontally" at all the people around us and the lives they lead and the difference they make and we compare ourselves to them–we're using a Level, you know, the tool with the bubble in it that you use to see whether a surface is perfectly flat and … horizontal.

But what if we measured our worth vertically rather than horizontally?  What if we used a Plumbline instead of a Level?  

A Plumbline like you see in the photo for this article will point directly to the center of the earth.  And that center never changes.  When we take our eyes off the horizontal long enough to get our bearings from the vertical–when we look up to God and His ways, rather than aside to the world around us–we will find ourselves more surely oriented to what's permanent and lasting rather than that which is temporary and fleeting.

Remember Zechariah 4:10?  I could get bogged down in never making any headway on my book.  I could get discouraged and just give it up.  But I need to not "despise the day of small things!"  We need to keep at it!  Do the work that's set before us!  Even small things, small beginnings, count for something!  

We need to remember to put first things first, to be faithful to the task God has set before us, no matter how seemingly humble or ordinary.  Ezra restored the Word of God to its central place in the life of the people.  Nehemiah rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem to provide safety and security.  Zerubbabel took charge of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem when Israel returned from exile.  "You will see the Plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel!"  Be faithful to what you know!  Be faithful to what has already been revealed to you!   

So what does this look like for you and me?  How do we align ourselves vertically with Jesus?  Jesus gives us our first direction in Mt. 6:33:  "Seek first the kingdom of God and all the rest will be added to you"–or "all the rest will fall into place."  This is our perfect starting point.  This is the nail from which we hang our Plumbline.  

Jesus' words help us find our place in the line of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.  Only then can we begin to build a life, lay a firm foundation.  What's more, we walk in the footsteps of Joseph and David and Isaiah, of Peter and James and John.  We don't measure our worth by these giants of the faith, but we do hang our Plumbline from the same peg in the wall–Jesus.  They're not our standard, He is.

Let's be faithful to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, the plumbline–the anchor–of our souls.  No matter how dark the days appear, no matter how hopeful or helpless we may feel, let us trust Him and walk with Him and find our bearings in Him!

Be encouraged, friend, for God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, who spoke all worlds into being, is both with you and for you.