Small

                     

 I was recently introduced to a little community started by two girls.  They originally challenged each other to write 800 words a week, and it eventually became an entire project. You can check them out at www.eighthundredwords.com/.

           That being said, and considering that the last time I wrote was…well, I’m not entirely sure…I decided to just try it out and write 800 words.  FYI, this just became 10x’s more challenging because Jemma the cat is now sitting halfway on my laptop.

           This summer was extremely different for me because I didn’t hop on an airplane and spend two months in a totally new and random place.  Instead, I was back to spending a summer in the hot and humid Mississippi. I questioned if God could even teach me and grow me. (Me, questioning God?  Like that has happened before.) Needless to say, I was wrong. In fact, I was very wrong. It is strange to say, but I think I learned more this summer than in past summers.  My comfort zone had become going to new places and sharing the Gospel, so I was definitely not placed in my comfort zone. Instead I was around very familiar places and people, but to say God was ever present this summer is an understatement.

           Have you ever stopped to think just how simple the Gospel truly is?  I mean sure, it can get complex and you should go deeper into it. But just the fact that the Creator of the Universe formed us, knows us, and loves us is enough to make me feel small because of how in awe it leaves me.  I would look up at the stars in the summer sky the past three months as a sweet reminder of how He hung those stars there. If He cares enough to carefully place stars, then just how much more careful He is to place us exactly where we need to be.

           Simplicity and smallness were two big lessons this summer.   A quote from a book I am reading by Emily P. Freeman says:

“Small is the position of my soul, the posture by which I approach others, God, and myself.  When I’m small, I know I can’t control opinions, manipulate outcomes, or force my agenda on others.  When I’m small, I can move into the world confident as the person I most deeply am because I know I don’t move into the world alone.”

           Small can be sitting back and truly enjoying the company of others, setting a short sliver of time aside to appreciate the smiles and laughs that come during those moments.  Small can be letting the presence of God make people feel welcomed into your little home instead of insisting on making your own presence fully known. Small can be the quiet moments in the morning where His Word is the sweetest taste to wake up to.  This summer, I discovered that small is a good quality to grasp.
This summer I have spent time reading in the Psalms. One in particular that I absolutely loved is Psalm 63.  It speaks of clinging to God and His steadfast love being better than life.  There is an innumerable amount of things that could be put under the word “life.”  But how much more sweet and steady is the love of the Lord! While there are wonderful blessings from Him, there is nothing that can satisfy as Christ does.  This summer has been a lot of time simply resting and dwelling in His presence; this 800 word piece could not thoroughly describe it. When I rest in Him, I feel quite small, but His greatness becomes so grand to me.

A quote from Oswald Chambers in his book My Utmost for His Highest says:

“It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God - but we do not.   We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people - and this is not learned in five minutes.”

It almost seems that Christians today have formed this belief that ministry has to be a grand, extraordinary adventure where we hop on planes and go to a different culture.  It is almost as if we put on the role of missionaries when we are officially given the title by a group before we embark on mission trips. However, over 2,000 years ago, all Christians were already given that title by Christ.  Matthew 28:18-20 quotes Jesus as He commands the disciples present and the future disciples to live out the Gospel. He commands us to go to all nations, whether that be on another continent or in a small town in Mississippi. Sometimes your mission field isn’t something made to amaze the world.  But on any mission field, the Gospel is made to amaze the people you are surrounded by. Regardless of the ministry in the season you are in, ordinary is a thing to remember. Jesus did incredible miracles, but He didn’t do them in spectacular places or with exceptional people. In fact, He spent time in very ordinary places with very ordinary people.  So, whether you travel to a new place or walk to the same classes day after day, watch for the ordinary people in the ordinary places. It is in the ordinary that we can truly rely on God and appreciate the work He does through us.