The story is told of an elite fitness center in a prestigious and large American city. Every year, concurrent with New Years resolutions, the center is flooded with excited potential applicants who want to take advantage of the high success rate the center offers. Despite the high cost of the program, the people figure that if for that money they can reach their goals it will be worth it. What they really hope is that they can buy their way to a weight loss goal.
The center has an ingenious plan by which they deal with a volume of applicants that exceeds their capacity. At the end of the day, when all the other application portions are complete, they send everyone home for the day with one promise they exact of every applicant. "When you get home tonight, go through your entire house and turn all the toilet paper rolls over. If they dispense from the top, flip them so they all dispense from the bottom or vice versa. Then come back tomorrow."
When the applicants return in the morning, the trainers meet with them and ask them if they rotated their toilet paper. Only those who followed that comittment are allowed to continue. The theory is simple: if you cannot keep small commitments, how will you possible have enough follow through to complete an arduous physical training regimen?
Many people ask small things of us to test our committment. I do the same thing, testing you with small things to see how much I can trust you to keep information, promises, etc. For me, if you cannot keep small committments, how can I count on you for matters of life or death or things of eternal significance?
The following poem comes to mind:
“ Father, where shall I work today?”
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed me out a tiny spot,
And said “Tend that for me.”
I answered quickly, “Oh, no, not that.
Why? No one would ever see.
No matter how well my work was done
Not that little place for me!”
And the word He spoke, it was not stern,
He answered me tenderly,
“ Ah, little one, search the heart of thine,
Art thou working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place
And so was Galilee.”
If God asked you to move a mountain or make the sea become dry land, you probably imagine that you would be willing to step forward and do a miracle in the name of Christ. However, Jesus asks small and simple things. He asks us to love our neighbors, to forgive when we are wronged, to keep our primises, and let our word become our bond. Simple and small are the things he has asked of us.
Last year around Christmas, I contacted a friend of mine and asked her if I could buy her a fish for her tank. Several of her fish had died in the months immediately precedent, and I knew from infrequent visits that she found joy in her fish. When I finished the question, she almost cried. She told me that she wanted to ask someone for a fish but didn't know how to broach the subject. I met her at the store and bought her two.
Christ asks of us simple things to measure our commitment. To each, he gives at least one talent and then asks for a stewardship report. For all those who do what they can to multiply their talent, he promises that we shall be given many other things. As we keep our commitments, he opens to us new blessings, opportunities, and knowledge.
This Saturday, we will all celebrate the birth of a baby boy. Like all baby boys, he couldn't do much at the time of his birth. Like most baby boys, he was born ignominiously to all but those who awaited and sought his coming. Yet, from the birth of Jesus, much in the world has changed. By small and simple things, great things come to pass, and God often uses simple things to confound the wise. Who knows but that you might do something today that changes the world down the road. As you think about this, consider this Liberty Mutual advertisement, which I have previously mentioned:
If we all do the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Have a very Merry Christmas.
The center has an ingenious plan by which they deal with a volume of applicants that exceeds their capacity. At the end of the day, when all the other application portions are complete, they send everyone home for the day with one promise they exact of every applicant. "When you get home tonight, go through your entire house and turn all the toilet paper rolls over. If they dispense from the top, flip them so they all dispense from the bottom or vice versa. Then come back tomorrow."
When the applicants return in the morning, the trainers meet with them and ask them if they rotated their toilet paper. Only those who followed that comittment are allowed to continue. The theory is simple: if you cannot keep small commitments, how will you possible have enough follow through to complete an arduous physical training regimen?
Many people ask small things of us to test our committment. I do the same thing, testing you with small things to see how much I can trust you to keep information, promises, etc. For me, if you cannot keep small committments, how can I count on you for matters of life or death or things of eternal significance?
The following poem comes to mind:
“ Father, where shall I work today?”
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed me out a tiny spot,
And said “Tend that for me.”
I answered quickly, “Oh, no, not that.
Why? No one would ever see.
No matter how well my work was done
Not that little place for me!”
And the word He spoke, it was not stern,
He answered me tenderly,
“ Ah, little one, search the heart of thine,
Art thou working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place
And so was Galilee.”
If God asked you to move a mountain or make the sea become dry land, you probably imagine that you would be willing to step forward and do a miracle in the name of Christ. However, Jesus asks small and simple things. He asks us to love our neighbors, to forgive when we are wronged, to keep our primises, and let our word become our bond. Simple and small are the things he has asked of us.
Last year around Christmas, I contacted a friend of mine and asked her if I could buy her a fish for her tank. Several of her fish had died in the months immediately precedent, and I knew from infrequent visits that she found joy in her fish. When I finished the question, she almost cried. She told me that she wanted to ask someone for a fish but didn't know how to broach the subject. I met her at the store and bought her two.
Christ asks of us simple things to measure our commitment. To each, he gives at least one talent and then asks for a stewardship report. For all those who do what they can to multiply their talent, he promises that we shall be given many other things. As we keep our commitments, he opens to us new blessings, opportunities, and knowledge.
This Saturday, we will all celebrate the birth of a baby boy. Like all baby boys, he couldn't do much at the time of his birth. Like most baby boys, he was born ignominiously to all but those who awaited and sought his coming. Yet, from the birth of Jesus, much in the world has changed. By small and simple things, great things come to pass, and God often uses simple things to confound the wise. Who knows but that you might do something today that changes the world down the road. As you think about this, consider this Liberty Mutual advertisement, which I have previously mentioned:
If we all do the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Have a very Merry Christmas.
1 comment:
I think it was Robert Brault who said that someday we would discover that the little things really were the big things and I think he's right.
Beautiful thoughts, as always. Thaks for sharing them.
Love and Christmas wishes to you!!
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