31 Jul 08 — Some thoughs about small things

It’s really silly, I guess, and I suppose I don’t do it that often any more, but I certainly did it when I was younger. even now, ever so often, I have this irresistible urge to pick up a rock and throw it in the water. Nothing fancy — I don’t have the talent to skip stones a cross the water — I just like to see the splash and the ripples on a quiet, smooth body of water. A stone hits water. A fountain rises. Spray jumps outward. And ripples run swiftly across the surface to shore in one direction and out of sight in others. One tiny stone, thrown into a pint-sized portion of even the mightiest of lakes, creates a storm of ripples that soon causes the whole lake to move in unison.
Sounds like a good metaphor for the Reign of Heaven — doesn’t it? Try this then: get one person fired up for Jesus, and throw them into a Sea of Complacency, and the ripples of God’s Love will flow outwards from that impact to shake things up.

How often do you hear someone telling you to listen for the quiet, still voice of God? We usually hear someone tell us to listen for this voice, because all the noise of our culture or our circumstances are making it hard to hear God’s Voice. And yet, once we do hear that Voice — that small thing — it can completely transform us. How important it is to hear the quiet words “I love you” spoken tenderly to you by your lover! Imagine then how important it must be to hear Jesus say the words “I love you.” It is that quiet voice saying those three precious words which completely changes us from whatever we were into the Christians we are becoming. Those words are like one of Jesus’ mustard seeds planted into our hearts, indeed, into our very souls.
But instead of growing up to be big mustard plants, those seeds grows up to be the new you and the new me we call baptized, born again believers.

Why would Jesus tell us parables of this nature? (Matthew 13:31-33; 44-46) We live in a culture which values “size.” It even goes back to our childhood when we taunted each other with sayings like, “My Daddy’s car is faster/better/etc. than your daddy’s…” These early exercises in measuring and being measured follow us and haunt us throughout life. We buy the SUV not because we need it but because its bigger. We do a lot of things because they either make us feel bigger and therefore better than our neighbor. And most cultures state in some way or another that “bigger is better,” or “more is better.” Proof of which are the frequently seen bumper stickers which say, “The one with the most toys when they die wins.” Hearing these sayings ever day, whoever has less of those toys, is always fighting for (self-) acceptance and always playing a catch up game with those who always seem to have more.

Jesus addresses this problem head on: it is not the size that matters but the results. It is not where you start but where you end. And the journey along the way is also important, if for no other reason than you can not get from here to there without taking the journey. One of my other great frustrations is hearing people say, “My faith is not big enough to do _____ .” Or “I don’t know Jesus well enough…” Thank God Jesus understood this was going to be a problem. These sayings of Jesus are all about telling us to stop worrying about where we are starting from. Instead, look to where you are going and use what little you have to take those first steps. Jesus knew we could never get to our journey’s end unless we started. So, walk out in faith and take that first step — because Jesus will be their walking with you. Yes — such small things and such small steps matter.