It’s a bunch of little things that make a difference. Oh, sometimes the big things matter too, but day to day it’s a bunch of little things.
Sailing is something I enjoy. There is a quietness to the boat running through the water with the aid of the wind. Sailing a boat well takes a combination of people and skills and choreography. Sailing well is a combination of a lot of little things happening together.
Life is like that too. It's a dance of a lot of people doing a lot of little things, almost every one having some effect, known or unknown; negative or positive, on others. Day to day living together on the same planet requires a lot of little things going well.
Kindness is a little thing. It’s always worth the effort required. Even when kindness is not reciprocated, it is still the right way to be, the appropriate thing to do. Kindness means treating people as if they were beloved children of God even when they act like hellions. Our instincts tell us that when we are hit we should hit back; that when we are insulted we should insult back; an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus reminded us that we should endeavor to do for others what we would have them do for us — and when they are mean to us he encourages us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Not easy. Sometimes it requires a massive effort, but it’s worth it.
Showing up where and when you are needed is a little thing. Employers like employees who show up for work when they are supposed to. We like to elect congresspersons who are on the job and ready to vote on bills and proposals. Friends sometimes need a friend to be with them; deaths, surgeries, illnesses, events with their children. Showing up means something. You don’t have to come bearing gifts or with the right words to say in every situation. Showing up speaks volumes. It’s a little thing, but it matters.
Listening is a little thing that feels like a very big thing to someone who needs to have their voice heard. Listening to someone makes a huge difference, but it may be difficult to do. African-American citizens in this country need to believe that people in power and in uniform are listening to them, paying attention to what they say. Sometimes they need to say things that people in power do not want to hear, but listening matters. The friend in a difficult relationship may need someone to hear their side of the story. Not easy to hear what they may have to say, but important to listen. It matters. Older people who feel they have been pushed to the side, and younger people who feel like they have no say — need to be heard. Listening is a little thing but it feels like a very big thing to the one who needs to have their voice heard. One doesn’t always have to offer solutions. Sometimes listening is enough.
Kindness. Presence. Listening. These are just little things we can do in our lives but they can matter so much to those whom we know and work with, those whom we love. Kindness, presence and listening are gifts that when offered speak to the way we value others. If we can operate from a place where we deeply believe that every human is a beloved child of God, then we will value them as God does, and the little things, which can sometimes be difficult, become big gifts to those who receive them.
What little thing do you value? What little thing can you offer?
A bunch of little things can make the world a better place to live.
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| It's the Little Things |
Peace and Love,
Jerry
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