Add to the Beauty
As many of you know, I love the music and ministry of Sara Groves. Recently, I read a wonderful article by her and I’ve quoted part of it that spoke to me the most below:
“Often, if I can’t do everything, I will do nothing. Many inspirations and ideas have died because instead of doing the one thing in front of me, I turned it into something impossible and then failed to do anything at all. At the root of this, there is something slightly sinister… I want to be a part of big things and make big changes, and the obvious stuff isn’t always big or glamorous.
But the obvious things add up. Mother Teresa’s ministry started when she prayed that she would be able to perceive the need. She often told her Sisters, “Open your eyes and see.” Meeting the obvious need was the whole point of her faith in Christ, and the small things mattered. “You can do no great things,” she said, “just small things with great love.” She also realized that obvious things don’t always fit into a schedule. At her many homes for the poor and dying, love did not happen on a schedule, but according to the need. “Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering, today somebody is in the street, today somebody is hungry … We see a need, we go meet it.”
So, I’ve been thinking, what small thing can I do today with great love? How about you?
You can read the article in full here: Add to the Beauty: The Most Obvious
And check out her new ministry website here: Add to the Beauty
What a great quote!!!! I can so relate to that. I do the same thing. I am going to have to go check out the article this afternoon….off to start school now.
Thanks for this post. It got me thinking! Why is it that we think of everyday things as small or unimportant? Prayer always comes to mind when I think of small things. I need to not do that. To be able to pray for someone is HUGE. Just the fact that we can come before the throne of grace and bring a petition on someone’s behalf ia a very BIG thing. We are not all called to be in the spotlight doing what we think are big things. Today especially I think we should remember tp pray for the Cannon family.
Great article!
Donna, great point about prayer and praying for the Cannons this week. Thanks for bringing that up.
this is the biggest struggle for me. I often have ideas but then I get so overwhelmed by them that nothing gets done. Its always been a habit and a fear and a struggle. I find myself daydreaming about big things when the Lord is calling me to be faithful in the small. This is something i have been praying about (or desiring to pray more about). THis article was very timely, thank you Dani.
Great reminders. For me, I wanted to do the BIG thing of cuddling suffering babies around the world. God has called me to mercy, but right now I’m called only to cuddle my own baby (who always reminds me sternly he’s NOT a baby anymore) and those in the nursery regularly. Other times according to the need. The way I’ve chosen to cuddle babies in Romania and Africa, for now at least, is by making quilts for them. It’s amazing how much prayer time I have when I’m sewing! Not that I make much time for sewing (Sunday evenings 2x/month) but it’s still a small thing with great love. Ditto Alpha on Tuesdays for these 10 weeks. Cleaning up a kitchen, greeting visitors, serving food. Small in my economy but I think it’s big in God’s. So yes, despite the spiritual warfare associated with serving Alpha, I feel God’s pleasure.
I am not Billy Graham, but may I offer you Graham cracker? (Okay, that was corny.)
Meant to say, Donna, you’re so right. The everyday things seem so small. I’m trying to learn to daily to the desire to be thanked for every little thing I do around here. Maybe that’s why I am tempted by the big things. Big things tend to get noticed. Wiping up kitchens and putting laundry away? Nah..