Sister Minerva has shared with me a daily reflection book for Advent. In it are reflections by Thomas Merton, Henry Nouwen and Mother Teresa. Today's reflection ended with the sentence: Nothing is small for God.
It made me really stop in my tracks. I am getting ready to go to Providence Home, the mission house in the mountains, for the day and have a lot of things on my mind, but that sentence stopped me cold in my tracks. Nothing is small for God.
It is kind of hilarious to think about if you roll it over in your head for a minute. I mean, think about it for a minute. For God, the Creator of the universe, Who manages and designs all things, Who holds the stars and all of His creations in His mighty hands, Who is capable of doing ANYTHING, Who is so massive in my mind...for Him, nothing is small. He sees everything, and none of it is too small to matter.
A smile to a stranger, picking up a pen that someone dropped, playing fairly in a chess game, giving a compliment...these things seem teeny tiny, especially when compared to the awesome works of Mother Teresa...oh my!! But each one is precious in the eyes of our Lord because we are reaching out, however insignificant it is to us. And when we do these little things as a means of sharing our love for God with others, I believe it makes God smile with joy.
I might think that the work I am doing here is pretty insignificant... helping to direct a Christmas skit, typing out a song book, making an Advent calendar, to give a few examples. And when I am helping in the barrios with feedings and missions, it is so easy to become disheartened by the thought that, sure we are helping the people in this barrio, but there are hundreds of barrios just in the central part of Eastern Samar!! What kind of difference am I making here? But I am comforted by the thought that nothing is small for God. He sees everything and He treasures all of the little things I do each day for others. And the same is true for you. It all matters!
And each time I stop what I am doing to help someone else, no matter how small the task, He is pleased. Try noticing how many times a day you stop in your work, your chores or errands to help someone...even if it is just picking up a pen that they dropped. I think if you become aware of the little needs that people have and take the time to stop and help, when the big things come along it seems natural to help. And when it's done for the glory of God, all of heaven rejoices.
I don't know about you, but that thought makes me really want to fill my days doing things for others, little tasks or big, for the love of God. For, as St. Mother Teresa says, "God will not ask how many books we have read, how many miracles we have worked, but whether we have done our best for the love of Him...Nothing is small for God."
xxooxxoo
