Celebrate the Little Things


 

I have written about this picnic table before. I love the variety of shapes and sizes of the containers in which the owner has potted plants of different types. And, of course, the dinosaur is a great touch. As I walked by this last time, I almost missed it. A small Jack-O- Lantern has joined the lineup. I personally think it balances out the T-Rex quite nicely. But once I saw it, I could not help but notice how a small addition made a big difference.
So it is with our lives. It isn’t always the big things that change us. Of course, the big things are, well, big. Job changes, relocations, births, deaths, health issues - all these certainly change our experience of each day. But small things can be big as well. A new and healthier routine. Reconnecting with friends from our younger years. Taking up a discipline such as exercise or prayer. Changing an attitude. Volunteering an hour for the good of others. These seemingly small things can end up making a big difference in our life and in the lives of others.
Jesus spoke of the importance of small things when he said, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” Little things matter, and how we live into those little things matters even more. Our attitude so often reveals our heart. Do we value the small, the unsung? Do we show the same commitment to the behind the scene tasks that fall to us as we do the moments when we shine? Do we realize that who we are is revealed, not just in the big things of life, but in the countless everyday things that can so often go unnoticed?
May this be a day where we notice and celebrate the little things. By our attitude may we be faithful in them, as faithful as we are to the big things in our lives. Who knows what changes they may bring to us and to others? Who knows how big the little things may turn out to be?
Peace.

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