By David ReayWednesday 27 Oct 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. (NLT)
The 18th century writer, James Boswell, often recalled with great fondness a particular day spent fishing with his father. It meant so much to him so many years later. After his father died, Boswell read his father’s diaries. He went to the date when they both went fishing. The entry read, “Gone fishing today with my son. A day wasted.”
To Boswell, such a precious day. To his father, a day wasted. We can guess his father figured not much was achieved. Perhaps nothing that could be measured. Perhaps nothing that specially impacted him. But for his son, it was no wasted day.
Jesus reminds us to be faithful in little things, the things we feel might be insignificant. A phone call, a greeting in the street, a smile or a hug. Might mean little to us but a lot to others. And Jesus says that how we do the little things in life are a measure of how we do the big things.
Those heads of organisations, including churches, who will have us focus on the big picture and long term strategies. All well and good, but how do they treat individuals? How do they take care of the things that only an all knowing God will know about?
In the words of another writer, Michael Lindvall, “The mark a man or woman makes on this world is most often a trail of faithful love, and quiet mercies, and unknown kindnesses.”
Blessings,
David