Gratitude Day 876

1 Peter 3:9 – Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you.

It’s the little things that count.

Yep, this is one of my mantras.

I believe this a thousand times over. Seriously. It’s one of those “things” that is at the very core of my being and something I pray that I embrace daily.

Too often, we think that we must sweep in with some big, dramatic act to make a difference. Unless a bunch of people see what we do and make a big deal about it, does it matter?

YES. It’s not the big things; it’s the little things.

It’s the bottle of hand lotion someone gave me this week.

It’s the extra time a friend extended her conversation with me so I could share more of my heart.

The grace extended me when I am behind on finishing something.

The confidence in me when I’m not sure I am confident in myself.

The extra space just when I need it.

These are the things that I remember and treasure.

I ran across this article recently. It’s such a great example of how the little things ARE the big things.

Here’s a story that I ran across. Can I verify that it is authentic? No. I’m not sure it matters. The point is what is most important. I’ll paste the words below you can read them without straining your eyes:

I visited Matthew, the owner of Lucy’s Flour Shop a little while back. As I nibbled on an enormous chocolate chip cookie, I began to tell him a story

A few years back on a bitterly cold December evening, there was a visitation at the funeral home across the street from his bakery. The people, bundled up in coats, scarves, and blankets were lined up around the building waiting to hug the family of the deceased. Seemingly out of nowhere, a man showed up and began giving away hot coffee to the people outside. People who entered the funeral home with coffee in their hands whispered of a mysterious man handing out free coffee, and how much they appreciated it.

I looked at Matthew and said, “I have a suspicion that you were that man. Is that right?”

Matthew very humbly replied, “Yes, I felt so bad for them and wanted to do something, but all I could do was make coffee, so I made coffee.”

I responded that he blessed so many people that night by helping them warm up and by showing there’s good in the world. He added a positive note to a devastating situation.

I paused, then added, “That visitation was for my sixteen-year-old son. Thank you for being so kind.”

That conversation has stuck in my head since then. “All I could do was make coffee, so I made coffee.”

Somedays, I’m burdened with the reality that I can’t do everything to help everybody.  I truly do want to make a in difference people’s lives and change the world. I dream big, but I can’t do it all.

Matthew’s words came back to me recently, “All I could do was make coffee, so I made coffee.” I repeatedly asked myself, What is my ‘coffee’ in this situation?” I can’t do everything, but I can do something, so I figured out how to do it and I did it.

None of us can do it all, but we can all do something, and if we do, we can make a difference in the world.

I challenge you to ask yourself often, “What is my coffee?” and then go make your coffee.

So often, we look at a situation and think, “Well, what can I do?” And convince ourselves that there is nothing we can do. But we would be wrong.

We could make coffee. Or pick up the phone and call someone. We could listen to a distraught person or drop off lunch. We could have groceries dropped off or send a gas card. There is always SOMETHING we can do.

In a time when we want someone else to be the one who does something, may I encourage us to consider that Jesus taught us that sometime, we are the one chosen to make the difference. We can be like Jonah and kick and scream, hoping God will change God’s mind.

Or, we can say, “Yes.”

“Yes” to looking beyond ourselves and considering how our time and energy can make a difference. “Yes” to discovering something new about us as we provide support to someone else. Saying “Yes” may not always be convenient, timely or desirable. But our “Yes” can speak volumes to someone else.

We all have an opportunity to make coffee for someone else. Today. Tomorrow. This upcoming week. Will we grab those opportunities, not expect anything in return and simply show up?

It’s our choice.

Here are a few things that I’ve ran across lately that I thought might be fun to share.

Wouldn’t this be cute for an Easter celebration?

Looking for a wonderful book to read. Check out “The Book of Lost Friends” by Lisa Wingate. The book straddles two different time periods: Hattie, who lived about 10 years after the Civil War and Benny, a high school English teacher from the 1980’s. Unknowingly, their stories are connected. It’s a touching story that doing the right thing makes all the difference.

Finding your “coffee” can look different today from tomorrow. And that’s OK. I simply encourage you to be open to when these opportunities come into your life and embrace them.

Have a blessed weekend.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – Too often, we think something must be bring and grand. But You have such a different view on this. May I discover my “coffee” today and seize the opportunity to make a difference. Amen.

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