Small things

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it.  Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.  For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel."  ~Zechariah 4:10

These are words we don't often contemplate, from a part of the Bible we don't often read, about a period of Biblical history we don't often remember . . .

. . . so I just spent all afternoon trying to write a summarization of the story of the Bible.  It is already far too long to publish here, and I'm not even to the 400 years of silence.

Sigh.

All I wanted was to write about the day of small things.

We despise the small things, think they are not important.  They are already small, and then we minimize them, oh travesty . . .

. . . because life is composed of small things.  Small things are the threads of the fabric of our existence.  Moment upon moment, our actions and attitudes and words intertwine with one another to define our lives and our personalities.

It's not about the grand wedding, the mind-blowing vacation, or the prestigious conference.  It's about the daily acts of kindness.  A gentle word of encouragement.  A smile.  A hand clasped gently.  It's about a cup of tea, or a cup of water.  It's about remembering instead of forgetting.  It's about taking time, on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, in the middle of a week, when nothing big is happening, but your presence is needed.  It's about tasting your toast and appreciating it, even though it is not an omelette.  It's about seeing the pattern on your bedspread and enjoying it, even though it has been there for years.

It's about the routine, and how good it is, how present you are in it, how carefully it has been cultivated for value.

Everything good is made up of a plethora of little things, and they all matter.

Love the little child, wash the grapes, smooth the pillow, observe the sunshine spilling through the maple leaves or down the late afternoon road.

Drive like the person trying to merge next to you is your sweet grandmother, and give grace.  Move over.  Step back.  Stoop down.  Pick up.  Replace.  Give.

Give one thousand little, tiny things: smiles, and words, and winks, and thoughts, and prayers, and hugs, and listening ears, and moments together in silence.  Give these over and over again, tirelessly, and it will add up to a fortune of generosity.

Jesus loves the little children.

A cup of cold water in His name.