One tiny little bitty change. Maybe one more step.
One bite. One little smile. One penny saved.
Ridiculous. Absurd. Not worthy of any attention…
In the great scheme of things, who is going to notice? What can one possibly do with one extra step? Or bite? Or smile? Or penny saved? What’s the point? It’s not going to accomplish much; you won’t ever see the difference.
Well, maybe you are right at first. One step won’t make a noticeable difference. Or one penny, or one bite.
But one plus one makes two. And two plus one adds up to three. And if you add three more, you are up to six. Now one extra bite won’t do much, I agree, but six extra bites… it’s starting to add up, don’t you think? And six plus another six makes twelve. And by the time you have twelve of anything, it can become quite noticeable.
If you put one feather on the one side of an old-fashioned scale, you won’t see any change. Another feather–no change. Another feather–no change. Another feather–the scale begins to move, so subtly that you hardly notice. Another feather… the scale tilts a bit. If you keep going, eventually the scale is going to be weighted down on the feather side. Yet each light feather sure did not look like it was making a difference.
We measure life in years. I am fifty-two years old. Realistically, though, each one of these fifty-two years did not just appear (or disappear). Each single one of them started with seconds, then minutes, hours, days, weeks and eventually months.
Twelve months to be exact. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty five days most years. Eight thousand seven hundred and sixty minutes. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred seconds.
Which one of these seconds did not matter? The one when my eyes met my husband’s for the first time and I knew we were meant to become one? Or the one when I found out I was pregnant? Or the one I got pregnant? Or the one my friend died? Or the one when a stranger smiled at me and made me all better?
With so many people on earth, what’s one more, or one less? Who would notice, anyway? I’ts just one life after all… Which one of these doesn’t matter?
Skewed thinking is dangerous for the heart, and deadly for our society. Every choice counts. Every decision matters. Even the hidden ones. Or the ones so small they seem pointless. Each and every one.
Or which one doesn’t? You tell me!
Linking up with Women Living Well.
Your post reminds me of the story of the Starfish. Do you know that one? A little boy was on a beach where hundreds and thousands of Starfish had washed ashore in a storm. He was busily tossing them back into the sea, one by one. A man walked up to him and said, “You can’t possibly throw all these Starfish back into the ocean. You can’t make a difference.” The little boy, picked up another Starfish, threw it into the sea and answered, “It made a difference to that one!”
We can think that our small offering of service to the Lord doesn’t make a difference…but it does. Each act of selflessness, adds to another and makes the world a better place! Thoughtful post…thanks!
Blessings, Joan
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Yes, I forgot about that story… indeed, let’s make a difference by obeying Him today!
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Wow. This really makes me think about a lot of things! Thanks!
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Thought provoking post.
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Thanks for stopping by!
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Wow! How powerful!!!
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Well said…yes every choice and decision matters.
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I have had many days just like that. I also have to OCD behaviors of not wanting my bed unmade or my dishes not done otherwise I am good. I enjoyed your thoughts and will ponder upon them.
Thanks for dropping by my blog. I will come back again.
Blessings to you and you are good enough and greatly loved by our Heavenly Father.
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Indeed, the blood is good enough!
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Oh my gosh, I must have had a senior moment yesterday when making comments. I don’t think my comment was meant for this post. Oh well, I did love reading your post and I must say that I believe everyone is a Child of God and Heavenly Father loves us all. I do think that we are on earth to experience life and that every choice does count and every decision matters. That is our test of agency.
Loved this one!
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Wonderful post! It is often the “little” things in life that have the most meaning in the grand scheme of things.
Blessings,
Joan
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excellent post…yes…each moment matters…each smile…each person…thanks so much for this encouragement today…blessings to you…
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Such good thoughts here, not to be forgotten… as each little minute becomes a day, week, month, year. This does remind me of my older brother telling me how, when he was a kid, a prosperous local businessman asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Brother answered, “A millionaire!” And the man responded, “Then watch your pennies!” I don’t care about a million dollars, but too often I let the little minutes fly away, or forget about the preciousness of each soul to God.
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thanks so much for stopping by, Sylvia!
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Oh Barbara, as I was reading your post, I can’t help but smile. Because as I advanced to the next line, I felt more and more hope from your words. And you emphasized so beautifully about the value of small things. Because the small things when combined, become big things. Thank you so much for reminding me to keep advancing because even if I take small steps, soon enough I’ll realize that I would’ve gone miles from just a single step! Thank you so much, Barbara, because your post blessed me today!
Take care and God bless! 🙂
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and you indeed blessed me by encouraging me to keep going, Irene. Thanks!
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