Mar. 25, 2014

I Kings 19, sections of verses 11-12

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain … but the Lord was not in the wind … there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake … there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

I shared with someone today how my life perspective changed. In my 20’s, I expected to do great things. I thought I would change something significant. In my 30’s, I shifted careers to follow God’s call. My aspirations of making a difference shifted with my career change.

Today, I have a more realistic life view. I do not aspire to be the pastor of a large church, the bishop of my denomination or a person called to speak at conferences. I simply desire to do one thing today that makes a tiny bit of difference for God’s kingdom and someone else. These little things come in a variety of ways. Maybe it’s a listening ear. Possibly it’s doing something insignificant to me but important to someone else. Hopefully it is adding value to another’s day.

A young mom was dying of cancer. She made videos for her children documenting how to cook, write a thank you, do laundry. Oprah Winfrey heard this and sent a camera crew. The family took a vacation to Disney and had a blast as the cameras capture it. After the woman died, the husband and children went on Oprah’s show. Thinking the kids would talk about the Disney vacation, Oprah asked what the kid’s favorite memory of Mom was. One girl said, “I remember when Mom asked me to get a bowl of Cheerios. We sat on the couch and ate them.”

It’s almost rocket science, isn’t it? Our world has lost its appreciation for the small. Our world wants bigger and better. We want to supersize our fries, sodas and vehicles. But amid this, God is doing something new in the small and the subtle. What Jesus called the Kingdom of God can be the gentle whisper among the chaos.

How does this happen? When little people have dreams about doing something different within their community. When ordinary radical people are committed to doing small things with great love. Most of us will never be CEO or develop a vaccine. But we can eat Cheerios with someone. Covenant with God to do one small thing for someone today.

Too often, I’ve missed your gentle whisper in my life, Lord God. Please forgive me. Help me appreciate the small more than the big and grand. Challenge me to do one small thing for someone else, today. May it glorify your kingdom.  Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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