“Pipsqueak, when are you ever going to grow up?” With questions like this homesteading in my head, growing up small felt crummy—less important, less significant, sometimes feeling like less of a person.
Small comprised a powerful element in my identity. And small received the blame for failures and rejections: You are too small to play basketball. You are too small to be a middle school majorette. You are too small to be a junior high cheerleader. And for me, each pronouncement resulted in a broken heart and a shattered dream.
But Jesus has changed all of that! He redeemed my identity, and He redeemed the significance of small.
Even today, in a culture where Big and Better = Best, The Mind of God bolsters us to rethink the equation. Consider the supernatural gravity of small in these four small passages in Scripture:
A small lunch When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”….“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”.… Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. .… So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” (John 6:5, 9, 11, 13)
A small man A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." …. Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:2-3, 5, 8)
A small offering Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others .…” (Luke 21:2-3 Berean Study Bible)
A small perspective “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin .…” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT)
So, here is a small question:
How do these small illustrations from the Word of God make their way into our lives and transform our world view?
Consider the following:
A small habit: I want to get up earlier and spend time with Jesus.
A small contribution: My desire to help the homeless in my city seems slight in comparison to the need, but I believe God wants me to offer what I have.
A small favor: “I am happy to pick the older children up from school for you so you can get an afternoon nap. I know you were up most of the night with a teething baby.”
A small word: “I am not sure where you are in your journey of faith, but may I please pray for you?”
A small book: His Word in My Heart, by Janet Pope My author friend Janet implores us to memorize Scripture so as to dramatically affect our walk with God. This book—and its message—are far from small!
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
When did you last feel that you or your contribution was small?
How do these passages from Scripture change your view and help you move forward?
What other ideas do you have to share concerning the Biblical perspective of small?
