It's the Little Things....

I am sure a lot of us feel this way sometimes. I recently began to wonder if I was doing enough for God.  I began to pray for more opportunities. Of course, I was thinking big scale-like mission trips.

So I prayed about it. I asked Him to help me not forsake opportunities to give, to love, to share. I wanted to do all the big things. Not out of pride, but because I really, really want God to use me to my full capacity. I want to serve Him and honor Him.

However, the more I looked at my life, the more I realized that I am in no place to do the “big things” yet. I began feeling bad about it. My circumstances at the moment prevent me from doing those things right now.

Then it began to occur to me...maybe I just need to stop worrying about what I can’t do for now. What if I just need to look at the opportunities around me?

I think about my little sisters at the children’s home. These little girls have been neglected, abused, and who knows what else.  I love them so much. What if right now, God wants me to minister to and love the little girls at the home?

I had a conversation with my Aunt tonight about my concerns about whether I was doing enough. She reminded me the impact of the “little things”. She talked about how she has seen God work, from her simply being kind or being there for someone. We need to work with what we have. We can bear much fruit by serving with our whole heart. Having a willing, servant’s heart is the key. Keeping eyes open for opportunities around us is also key.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”-Colossians 3:23

When we fully submit to God, we say, “I am available for You to use me in anyway. Anything You want me to do, I will do it.”

Sometimes, the Lord needs you where you already are.  It can be difficult when you want to do the big things. I continue to pray that someday I will be able to serve in a mission field. However, God is showing me right now that there are a group of girls who need my love and example.

My foster sisters have come to mean the world to me. They need that unconditional love and support. They need to see God.  I must show that love to them. It could happen one day they give their lives to Christ. Then they can tell the world what God has done for them. It would have started with the fact that we loved them.

Believe it or not, loving those around us and giving them the gospel is a great place to start. Even if something seems little, it can lead to big things.

If you are in the same spot as me, remember- you don’t have to be doing the “big things” now. Pray about it. If you have that big of a heart for missions, or anything else, God will offer the opportunity when the time is right. Just maybe not right now. Patience is a virtue.

Weathering the Storm

Our congregation’s VBS was this week. One of the nights,a bad storm hit. With high speed winds and lightning, it knocked out a transformer nearby our church building. Soon after, the lights went out. When it became dark, the kids became excited rather than scared. 

Instead of being afraid, they had fun with it. The adults did the best they could to carry on with a grin on their faces with flashlights in hand. When the lights went out, they made the most of it.

These kids in the dark that night were real troopers. In the end, they had fun and learned more about God.  They made the most out of a not-so-ideal situation. They knew that things were going to be okay and that the ‘grown-ups’ would take care of them.

God, in the same way is looking out for us. As Christians, we must never forget that God is our Father and He is watching over us. That is where that peace and comfort comes from that the kids had this week: Trust and faith.

They trusted and had faith that they would be okay despite the storm. I think that may be one of things Jesus meant when He said we must be like little children.  (Luke 18:16-17.) Children are so trusting, and optimistic.  Part of being as 'little children' I believe is to be blindly trusting of God.

God is our Heavenly Father. How is it so easy for us to forget that He is going to take care of us despite our circumstances? I am not saying that human emotions won’t occur, because that isn’t realistic. Yet,  we shouldn’t allow our emotions to let us forget that God is taking care of us.  (Psalm 46:1, Hebrews 13:5.)

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33-34, “…But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Here, He is saying to focus on living for Him, and not to worry about anything else. Release your worries to Him and focus on His work.  It becomes a little easier to not worry as much when we throw ourselves into loving Him.

We know that in the end, God will see us through any storm we come up against.