The Magnitude of Small Things

I recently finished my tenth year of classroom teaching. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my first staff meeting, trying to comprehend all the ins and outs of how a school worked. In thinking back over the last ten years, I would have to say that one of the most significant things I have learned is the importance of small things. Small victories build upon one another, as do small defeats. Small kindnesses make big inroads into hearts. Small adjustments make big differences. Small weaknesses lead to big failures.

We naturally want to accomplish big things. We want our work to be meaningful, to make a difference. And it can be easy to get discouraged when your biggest efforts seem to yield only small results.

The prophet Zechariah ministered in a time of just such discouragement. The people of Israel had returned to the land after their exile in Babylon, and had begun to rebuild Jerusalem. You can read in Ezra and Nehemiah about all the opposition they faced from within and without as they attempted to build.

When the foundations of the temple were laid, those who remembered the glory of Solomon's temple wept because the second temple was so much smaller. Their work of rebuilding of the temple stirred up heavy opposition, and I think they must have wondered at times if it was really worth the effort. We know that God sent the prophet Zechariah to encourage them, and after assuring the people that the temple would be finished, the remarkable statement is made:

"For who hath despised the day of small things?"

Zechariah 4:10a

There is more to the verse than that, but basically, God assures them that His might is behind their efforts. Though their strength, their materials, their abilities may have been small, His are limitless!

That would have been encouraging to the post-exilic Israelites, for sure, but what about us? We are just as prone as the Israelites of old to "despise" small things, counting them as of little importance, perhaps even worthless.

But God doesn't see it that way. Everything has importance to Him, because He made it. From the great expanse of the universe to the very smallest electron, He made it all, and has a purpose for each and every part of His creation. He has a purpose for every millisecond of your life, and for the very smallest of your joys and sorrows. It all matters to Him.

I recently entered a writing contest for the first time. Although my entries did not make it into the finals, I did get the judging sheets back for each one. To my perfectionist sensibilities, my scores seemed like a "small thing" --I had hoped to do much better. But as I read through and analyzed the scores and comments, I began to realize that they weren't as low or as negative as I had initially thought, and that there was much to be encouraged about, as well as some things I needed to work on. Because I swallowed my pride and examined the "small things", I was encouraged in my writing instead of being discouraged by my need to grow in my writing skills.

It takes humility to look at the small, the inadequate, or the seemingly unimportant things in life and trust that God can indeed use them. At the same time, it takes faith to look at the large, overwhelming problems looming overhead and trust that God is bigger, and that He can use even your small strength to overcome them.

I am reminded of one of my favorite hymns by William Cowper:

"God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.