Do Small Things Greatly

Life is full of small things, isn't it? I don't mean snails and sand fleas. No, I mean the small choices we make, like taking care of our bodies, and tasks we complete, like home and work responsibilities. Since "small" or seemingly routine, non-earth-shattering items construct the majority of our time, perhaps they aren't so insignificant after all.Don't get me wrong. I'm all for daring adventures and if you follow my personal blog, you know I just returned from traveling two weeks in Italy. Everything in its place, right? Although life certainly has its mountain-top moments, it’s also good to adventure on the small scale.

Truth is, God cares about and can use our ordinary, less-than-glamorous moments just as much as those bucket-list accomplishments.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at the Bible in 1 Chronicles. Now this book holds its share of hurdles, including chapters of genealogies, but it also holds a challenge relevant to our lives.In 1 Chronicles 9:29-34, we find a short account of appointed responsibilities in the house of God and who was charged with what task. Maybe you’re thinking, “So what?” Stay with me and take a look at verse 29:

“Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices” (NKJV).

Overseeing vessels and instruments in the temple's sanctuary seem like trivial tasks. Making the ointment of the spices (verse 30) or keeping inventory of the flour, wine, oil and other spices (verse 29) don't sound especially exciting to me. If that job posting opened today, none of us would probably sign up for it.However, these details were important enough to record in Scripture. In fact, these small tasks proved vital to the efficiency and order in the house of God.

Related Post: Greatness Is Your Destiny

If you’re like me, we’re often so focused on doing something “big” for God that we trip over the little things. For example, how was our attitude toward that task we didn't especially enjoy?

Yet God cares about our response to appointments great and small. We see this again and again in Scripture.

• "Let all things be done decently and in order" (I Corinthians 14:40 NKJV).
• "Do all things without complaining and disputing" (Philippians 2:14).
• "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
• "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).
• "But you be watchful in all things ... fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5).

In other words, the big and the small assignments both matter. I like how Helen Keller summarized this idea:

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”