The following is taken from the chapter “Be Faithful in the Little” in the book Equilibrium: 31 Ways to Stay Balanced on Life’s Uneven Surfaces.
We live in a culture congratulating and acknowledging the large, the tall, the big. We award accomplishments when the numbers are vast and the statistics impressive. Few church growth conventions invite pastors who serve small congregations. Few writers conferences invite speakers who wrote fantastic books which just didn’t sell well. Few business consultations invite advisors who serve tiny teams in small towns.
Our ethos craves giants. In size, in number, in amount, in quantity. Healthy goals of growth can rapidly convert into unhealthy, controlling models of success and achievement. Too many people heave for an enormous feat, forgetting the value of tiny triumphs.
As we believe in the big, as we take dives into deep waters, as we risk what seems impossible, as we realize our Guide can renovate dreams into realities, we must not forget what is right beside us. To find equilibrium, we must notice what is nearby. To obtain better stability, we must smile at the face of a friend. To find balance in the uneven surfaces of life, we must stare at the phenomenon of a sunrise, a child, a word, a picture from our childhood, a meal before taking a bite.
Our information is shelled with statistics. Our schedules are crammed with goals. Our meetings are overloaded with the pursuit.
What if we stop the race, just for a moment? What if we cease the chase, just for an instant? What if we halt the hurry, just to take a breath? What if we break the attack, just to take a pause?
Maybe we will notice the size of a crowd or the popularity of an event or the applause of supporters aren’t as important as we have been taught.
Jesus left the crowds when His disciples thought it was His chance to initiate a movement. Jesus noticed fishermen and invited them to follow Him. Zacchaeus was so small he had to climb a tree to even see Jesus and he was such a selfish tax collector he would not have been selected for dinner by other circuit riders, but Jesus saw him. Jesus went to eat at the home of Zacchaeus.
Go farther back in biblical history to remember David and Goliath. David was able to see the big and let an impossible victory become a reality because he had spent time investing in what the crowd didn’t notice, what the headlines didn’t highlight, what the culture didn’t applaud.
Today, start where you are. Be faithful when no one is looking. Do not be controlled by the numbers, the attention, the ovation. Identify and stay true to your “why.”
