It's the little things

“Who dares despise the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10

The other day I was going down the interstate and most of the trees were brown, thanks to winter. The scenery was, for the most part, lifeless, bleak, and depressing, except for small clusters of purple blossoms on trees here and there. I almost missed the blossoms because I didn’t want to look at dead trees. Amidst the bland scenery of dead trees there was life in bursts of vibrant color.

These pockets of blossoms on the trees were like the small things in life God gives us. Life can be bleak if you don’t notice the small things in life. We humans tend to get caught up in day-to-day things and completely miss small gifts from God, like the flowers on the trees. The small gifts remind us of God’s sovereignty. He’s in control at all times, even when life is bleak.

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” If we don’t appreciate the little things in life, then God won’t trust us with larger things. To Jesus, a little thing can be powerful.

Recall the parable of the mustard seed, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32) Such a small thing and yet it can yield much.

Be thankful to God for the little things He does in our lives to remind us that He’s there. Life becomes bleak when you don’t appreciate the little things. However, when you do appreciate the little things life becomes joyful.

God gives us so much to be thankful for, so don’t let the small things in life pass you by. Look out for the small things and give some thanks to the Lord for them when you notice them.

Ephesians 5:20 is a good reminder of this, it explains that we should always be “giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”