Of Things Small

Thus says the Lord: You Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel(Mic 5:1-4).  In our society it is quite common for us to gravitate to all things big.  As a sport aficionado I am always drawn to large feats whether it be the Golden State Warriors winning streak, Joe DiMaggio's hiting streak, passing records in the the NFL, and the list goes on.  Skyscrapers captivate a first-time visitor to large metropolises such as New York City and Chicago.  Restaurants draw us in with large portions.  Larger than life personalities have huge followings on Twitter and of course who cannot forget to mention the latest in a long line of Star Wars movies, "The Force Awakens." But what if what we are really looking for cannot be found in the grandiosity of movies, sports, and superstructures?

We can find Jesus in small things just as he was found in an unassuming location without the glimmering lights, the fanfare from the peoples, the royalty surrounding him. This Advent season we have been surrounded by tragedies of immense proportion, the constant chatter of larger than life politicians, and a myriad of other events that seem to dominate headlines.  Perhaps take a moment and look to the small things. I recently took a bike ride to the beach and found the sun setting in a glorious yellow fireball.  Friends of mine have posted equally beautiful pictures of sunsets on Facebook. Yes, God is there. The stillness in the morning after a much needed rainfall and the clear crispness that permeated the air gives a sense of the beauty of God. A greeting to a stranger or a casual conversation with a shopper helps us find Jesus in the humanity around us.

It seems that as I move on in age that I find more rewarding things small. Perhaps it is because I no longer have that sense of being overwhelmed by fulfillment of things large. My belief is that after chasing things large, God has shown me a better way, to seek joy in the seemingly insignificant, to find strength and happiness in our Lord and his endless works of mercy and graciousness in my life. May you look to those things small for the work of our Lord.