God isn’t just in life’s monumental things. He’s present in the little things: rain drops, the artistry of spider webs, and the sound of an acoustic guitar. A child’s laugh, surfing songs, a swing set, sprinklers, and the smell of split cedar. Maple syrup, fresh green beans, buttermilk biscuits, and homemade strawberry jam. Ripe oranges straight off the tree. Pecan pie a la mode, chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven and a tall glass of cold milk (in my case, this would require a lot more insulin). A good recliner, the smell of leather upholstery, and a dog’s wagging tail.
If we disregard these and thousands of other gifts, we don’t just fail to notice them, we fail to notice God. God’s goodness is always evident if we look in the right place. “[H]e is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28).
Alexander Maclaren advised, “Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.”
May we remember that the ordinary, daily, and mundane acts of faithfulness and kindness that no one else knows are well-known by God. He is watching. He is keeping track. In Heaven, He’ll reward us for our acts of faithfulness to Him, right down to every cup of cold water we’ve given to the needy in His name (Mark 9:41). The ordinary, small things matter in light of eternity.
There is comfort in 1 Corinthians 4:5, God “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” God will apparently find something, no matter how small, to reward “each one” for.
In the following episode from her daily radio program, Joni Eareckson Tada (who Nanci and I shared some unforgettable times with) says, “God makes much of little things.... He probably wants more encouraging notes sent than books written, more sandwiches shared than sermons preached, more Band-Aids applied than buildings built.”
Joni reminds us it’s the little things that mean a lot when God is in them:
