The bigness of small
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Cor. 1:27
Every year when I was growing up we had the Peewee Track Meet. As I remember, it consisted of 2 races - the 50 and 100 yard dash. Each class ran a heat and the four winners from each class ran a final. The parent cheered and tried to keep order among twenty five kids waiting in the March wind for their turn to run. I ran my hardest every year, only to watch the rest of the class pull ahead of me one by one. After snacks on the football field we would go back to our classroom where the teacher would hand out the ribbons. The six place ribbons were blue, red, white, yellow, orange and green. (Ugly green, by the way). Then she would pass out maroon ribbons with cartoon kittens trying to look ferocious. They were printed with the words, “I’m a Little Panther”. I have six “I’m a Little Panther” ribbons, each with a slightly different ferocious kitten but no other ribbons. By 5th grade I tossed them all in the closet.
I have encountered obstacles to goals in my life and sometimes feel that no matter how hard I try still end up with an “I’m a Little Christian” ribbon and no successes. I haven’t achieved some of the big things my family has and often feel that my life and service to God is inferior. Recently a preacher prayed for me that God would continue to anoint me in my work with disabled people. It stopped me in my tracks. Wasn’t anointing for the big things like preaching or singing? I know He has anointed my writing and my music, but what about my work? Does God care when I try to soothe tears of frustration or chase flailing limbs with socks? Is he present when I coax a smile out of someone who is locked inside a broken, twisted body? Does it bring Him Glory when I show up with a smile when I would rather be home in bed? How about when I love a family member who is acting unlovable? Could it be that these things bring him as much honor as the “big things”?
Recently at our church we had a series on “Extras”, the minor characters in the Bible. Take the Christmas story. The major characters are Mary, Joseph and Jesus, but God chose to include a host of extras, to make the story richer. He included the innkeeper who gave them a place, although not the best place. He included the shepherds who the equivalent of today’s rednecks, the wise men who were foreigners with vastly different customs and beliefs and two elderly people in the temple who were waiting for Messiah. The next time the enemy tries to tell you that your life or service is inferior, take the advice of Joyce Meyer. “Just stomp your little holy foot and tell him that he is a liar.
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