I like the little things in life. Snowdrops. Daffodils.Good coffee. Ink pens. Pretty notebooks.
At Christmas, I love sourcing the childrens’ stocking fillers-the small surprises that don’t cost much.
Sometimes, with hindsight, little things aren’t so little after all.Small things can make a big difference. Small tweaks in our daily routine. Small adjustments in our attitude. Listening to seemingly small details relayed from our childrens’ days.
Sometimes it’s small conversations that encourage us most. It’s the depth rather than the amount of the words. I still smile when I think of the old lady saying, “Good to see you back!”as walked into work after almost one year off.
My mother-in-love can recall the midwife bringing a bag of jelly babies sixty years ago when her baby brother was born. This kind gesture had a lasting impact & influenced her own career choice!
‘Find beauty in the small things’
Make time :
*To star-gaze
*To go outdoors
*To chat to your children, no matter what age they are!
*To drink coffee by the fire
*To read a book
*To watch an old movie with popcorn
*To send someone a little gift for no reason
*To push the demands of work back to acceptable boundaries
*To carve out time for the little things that are actually important
*To create space to connect with others
*To be intentional
Small things are often bigger than we realize.
The prophet Zechariah urged God’s people not to despise small things, when the work to rebuild the temple was starting, ‘for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin’
(Zechariah 4:10 NLT)
In the Bible we can read of many small things:
*A tiny baby who was Almighty God
*Five stones used to slay a giant
*Five loaves & two fish used to feed a crowd of thousands
*A pearl to illustrate the priceless kingdom of God
*An ant -a creature of little strength, yet it stores up its food in the summer (Proverbs 30:24-25 NIV)
*A small seed that highlights the potential of even little faith:
Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.””
(Matthew 17:20 NIV)
It’s sometimes little things that cause trouble.
‘Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.’
(Song of Solomon 2:15 NIV)
*A small pin can burst a balloon
*A small piece of grit can irritate our eye
*A small part of our body- the tongue can cause infinite damage
(James 3)
Words spoke in anger, pride, jealousy & hurt can cause damage like a forest fire.
We can feel small in our weaknesses & failings.
Occhiolism is the awareness of the smallness of our perspective. I feel this when I gaze into the galaxy on a star filled night, or when I’m walking through a large airport- through crowds of people in transit.
Yet, God uses the small things like us:
“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 Corinthians 1:27 NIV)
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
(Gandalf -J.R.R. Tolkien)
Small acts of kindness & love
Small acts may have a bigger impact than anticipated.
‘Great things are done by a series of small things brought together’
(Van Gogh)
Small acts of kindness might ripple across the pond of life.Small acts:
*Might scatter like dandelion dust
*Might bud into a blossom
*Might cause a spark to fan into flame.
I like that image of a flaming fire, & the warm feeling it evokes. The Danish word ‘hygge’,is the sense of cosiness you get from sitting in front of a roaring log fire .
Going the extra mile begins with one small step. We may have to take small steps every day.
This week start small, with little things. You never know what it’ll grow into!
‘Do small things with great love’ (Mother Teresa)
‘May we be marked more by our small moments than our fast movements’
(Emily P Freeman-Simply Tuesday)
Blessings,
Ruth x
Blessed! 