Lent: Keep it simple

God in the Little things.

Luke 16:10“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much.

Matthew 13:32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

From seeing God in the common things of life, today we move to the little things, the inconsequential moments and I bring to your notice the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

“Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts he has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge. experience and love that has been given to us. and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith and the rich experience that God has given to others. and we consider this lament to be pious. 

We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith and difficulty; if on the contrary we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty. so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (SCM Press 1963) p 19

When we pray, we tend to focus on things that we think are more significant. We pray for my loved one who is battling with illness. We pray for the safety of family members who are traveling. We pray for friends who are struggling with unemployment. We pray for our government leaders and about issues happening in our nation and world. But we don’t often pray about little things like discomfort from mosquito bites. Perhaps I should.

Prayer:

Dear God, help us to be very attentive to the little things in life. Help us to just be careful not to despise them or to view them all as hassles. But like Jesus to be ready for those interruptions, ready for those additions, ready for those changes. Those little things that are on the way to big goals that we have. Thank you, in Jesus name. Amen.