“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:9
My life is a small life. I live in a small house. In a small neighborhood. In a small town. In a small state.
My husband and I have a small bank account. A small budget.
My job is to take care our small children. I teach a small group of pre-schoolers and a small group of women at bible study.
I write for a small blog.
Small does not equate insignificant.
I find myself sitting in this small nook in the corner of my small kitchen, and I think of the small boy with the small fish and the small loaves. He gave his small offering. The LORD turned it into a big meal with big time leftovers.
The recurring lesson for me this summer was “be faithful in the little things”.
The LORD has shown me that He wants me to: Take care of my home. Love my neighbors. Be a good steward of my pocketbook. Change those training pants (over and over and over). Love on my children. Plan for the preschoolers. Pray for the bible study members.
And continue to fulfill my calling to write. Be obedient. He wants me to trust that my efforts in blogging have a bigger purpose than I can ever imagine.
He wants me to know that even though I may never see it, my small life is a part of the big picture. Like a mosaic…
Isn’t that what makes a mosaic so beautiful? All the small pieces fitting together for the greater good of the overall vision.
If you are feeling insignificant today, take heart. Your obedience will be honored. Your faithfulness in the little things will reap a reward. You have a purpose. We serve a big God with a grand plan, and He has chosen us to be a part of it. Keep taking your small offerings to the altar; In turn He will transform them into huge blessings for many.
Blessing,
Jen
Link-Up with: Holly Barret on Testimony Tuesday, Holley Gerth on Coffee For Your Heart, Simply Beth on Three Word Wednesday, Jennifer Dukes Lee on #TellHisStory, Rebekah A. Huges on Words of Life, Woman2Woman
Because my audience has changed since my time over at Mosaic of Moms, I decided to repost some of my favorite devotional pieces I wrote for that project. This article was adapted from a post originally published on Mosaic of Moms on September 9, 2013. All rights reserved by Jennifer Mullen.
Such a refreshing perspective, in a world that hails the biggest, the brightest, the most flashy and glamorous and popular. Stay faithful in the small things, and you will receive great reward. Blessings to you.
Kate,
Thank you so much for popping by to encourage me!
Jennifer
Thank you for this Jen! I can so relate to this, and so good to remember that small is not insignificant- Stopping by from Holly’s place! 🙂
Such simple things can be so significant. Thank you for your words of encouragement!
Jen,
I love this – -small can be transformed when we bring it to God! (Stopping by from Holley’s link-up today!)
Valerie,
Thank you for taking the time to stop by!
Jen
I wish you could see your life as I see it. There is nothing small about your life. You are so talented and have so much to give. And you ARE giving so much! You are so very blessed. Be happy and most of all be patient. I have faith that you are exactly where you need to be now and the future is only going to get better. I love you so much. Mom
Thanks, momma! You are precious!
Jennifer, visiting from Simply Beth. I blogged once about having a small life but living BIG. And, it sounds as though you have learned the secret!
I think it would be more correct to say that I am learning the secret. 🙂
“Small does not equate insignificant.” AMEN. and AMEN. Love this, Jen. I needed these words today more than you could have known and you should know you aren’t alone in these feelings. I struggle with them often. In fact, I’ll be starting leading a “small” bible study tonight at church for the first time, and it feels so right. As does being home now having left my “big” job to stay in my “small” home with my “small” children and most days doing what seems to be oh. so. “small.” Thank you for the reminder it’s all. so. BIG. Love you!!
Oh, Meredith, this makes me so happy. What a blessing it is to spur one another on in doing good! Bless you, sweet friend!
Jennifer
Jen- It’s so easy to forget that we are important parts of His mosaic. Small, but necessary. important, and with a big role. Thanks for this beautifully written reminder. I loved the opening lines of this post. You drew me in right away! Great job!
Thank you for your kind words!
I have been thinking about the small things a lot lately, and this post spoke right into my heart! I love your comment that “small does not equate insignificant.” I think I forget too often that with God, it’s not about small or great things because He is so much more interested in the heart behind it all. With Him, the smallest things can become the greatest things later on. Thank you so much for this encouraging post!
Ronja,
Isn’t it so hard to understand. It is so counter-culture. Less is more! Small is big.
Jennifer
Speaking to every single one of us, here, Jen! I just LOVE you, your writing, your kindness that comes out in your words, your heart. And when your Mama is commenting- yeah, Mama love is precious. She knows you were made for greatness. (I believe it too)
Ginger,
I cried when I read this. I couldn’t even respond. I didn’t know what to do with your comment so I just left it. All I can say now is simply thank you, sincerely, for your words of affirmation. You are a doll! So glad that we have “met”.
Jennifer
We are neighbors today over at Holly’s place for Testimony Tuesday and I am so glad that I stopped by! I went for years thinking that because of my small (insert anything here!) I couldn’t really make a difference! I too live in a small town, have a small family, a small budget, etc – but all the while I knew I served a Big God! I am so thankful that He takes our small and makes it Big in the Kingdom! I think of the mustard seed and how SMALL it is – but oh how it grows so big! May that be said of our offerings too!
Amen, Karrileea!
So glad you stopped by too!
Our small is as big as God wants them to be, in His hands. Thank you for the encouragement!
It’s all a matter of perspective isn’t it? The BIGGEST thing would look so small in His hand anyway!
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You have no idea what a BIG difference your small blog has made in my life today. A BIG THANK YOU to you for writing it and to God for giving you the words and leading me here today.
Utterly humbled by this. Blessings!
Jennifer,
You wrote something that caused me to pause and identify with you , today.”And continue to fulfill my calling to write. Be obedient. He wants me to trust that my efforts in blogging have a bigger purpose than I can ever imagine. He wants me to know that even though I may never see it, my small life is a part of the big picture. Like a mosaic…Isn’t that what makes a mosaic so beautiful? All the small pieces fitting together for the greater good of the overall vision.”
I can relate to this question you pose because I, too, wonder what good am I doing sharing words that I don’t always feel qualified to write, but feel presed to share. Keep writing, as I have been told by others who scribble away hope in a world of radiowaves, and trusting that you are leaving a mark, indelible and eternal, on someone’s day that points to Him. Small is an adjective that is relative… when I began to see that it started to make a difference in the effect of my words, even if they only reached 1 person. Today you blessed me. 🙂
In Him,
Dawn
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