We all want to do these big things. In fact, we are living in a culture entirely obsessed with big things: big numbers, big houses, big fundraisers, big followings, big books, big sales, big names, big churches, big stages, big dreams. Big, big, big, bigger, best.
The bigger the dream, the louder the praise.
The louder the praise, the more impressive. The more impressive, the larger the crowd. The larger the crowd, the more we feel like we matter. The more we feel like we’re changing the world. The more we start to bring in those accolades and those “atta girls” and those attention-grabbing trophies to put on the mantle. The more we feel like God is in our work, and our words and our worth.
I’m not against it. I’m here for it.
If God has placed something big on your heart, then by all means, go out and slay those dragons, girl. Go. Run. Climb. We will all be back here cheering you on from the stands, sipping on our large Sonic drink and holding up our handmade posters when your name goes up in those flashing neon lights.
I’m not against it.
I am, however, against making us feel like small things don’t count anymore.
Small businesses, small acts of kindness, being there for your kids in small ways day after day after day, small meals shared over small tables, small love letters to your spouse, small words of affirmation to your students, small prayers, small changes in your daily habits.
I’m so over it. I’m over the world making us feel like small is insignificant and I’m over eating that garbage up like it’s the last bowl of cereal in the pantry. I mean, right? Am I completely alone here?
It’s like we have these celebrities. We have these movie stars. We have these Noble Prize winners. We have these women writing books and getting on the New York Times Best Sellers lists.
We have people getting played on the radio. We have major influencers. We have these massive pop stars holding these massive concerts inside these massive arenas and these…well these are the people who’ve made it.
These are the people who will be remembered. These are the few who will be idolized and exalted and awarded. These are the people we should aspire to be. These are the few who actually did something with their lives.
The rest of us — ehhhhhhh. We’re okay. We’re fine. We’re faces in the crowd.
And so we shrug off our duties. We shrug off our callings. We shrug off our jobs and our titles and our self-worth, because we’re nobodies.
It’s a big ole world out there and what good are we possibly doing? We can’t write giant checks to charities. We can’t build towers. We’ll probably never get our name in Forbes. We’re not speaking on stages. We’re not being heard by thousands, or hundreds, or more than just a small handful. Some days, it’s like no one is hearing us. No one is listening. No one cares.
And so we shrink ourselves.
We go back to our boxes. We go back to feeling like we’re missing something. We discount ourselves because we’re small. Because, a drop of water doesn’t change the ocean.
Maybe so. Maybe they’re right.
Maybe we will never change the whole world.
But let me tell you something, sister. When we are willing to take our small things and put them in the hands of God, He can do big things in our lives and in the lives of those around us. But not until we give them to Him.
Think of the people who have made the deepest, most significant impact on your life. Was it Oprah? Doubt it. Was it Taylor Swift? Unlikely. Was it…gosh, honestly, I don’t even know who’s cool anymore…Jimmy Fallon? Justin Timberlake? The Biebs? No. No. And awwwwww heck no.
It was your parents who held your hand at night when you got scared.
It was your teacher who consistently encouraged you to keep writing because you had a way with words. It was your coach who told you to work harder. It was the woman who gave you your first job and then showed you how a business was properly managed.
It was your nurse when you had your first baby. It was your grandmother showing you how to make fried okra in the kitchen. It was your friend who took you out for coffee when you cried to her about your struggles with depression and anxiety. It was your cousins who were the first people to buy from you when you started your business.
Being a mom isn’t small.
Being a wife isn’t small.
Being a friend isn’t small.
Doing your job well isn’t small.
Volunteering at your local charity isn’t small.
Teaching fourth graders isn’t small.
Smiling at the woman behind the counter at the grocery store isn’t small.
The only thing small is limiting God’s presence and God’s power to the big stuff.
If we don’t believe He’s in it all, and that it all has a place, then what are we even doing? We’re missing the very purpose of who God is and what He wants from us.
Don’t strive to be the girl who does big things well and then dismisses the rest.
Instead, strive to be the girl who does small things with a big heart, and then watch and see how God moves.
This post originally appeared on Amy Weatherly.
We all want to do these big things. In fact, we are living in a culture entirely obsessed with big things: big numbers,…
Posted by Amy Weatherly on Thursday, October 11, 2018
I loved this so much!