Small Seeds

When you belong to a small country church, you can sometimes wonder if you really have a purpose there. The larger churches seem to have so much going on--so many people--so much to offer. When you compare the little things you're doing, it can make you wonder if it matters at all. That seemed to be the theme that I was seeing in our small church today.

My aunt Julie was mentioning how she had been wondering if she even belonged teaching children, since all the little ones had left. But she realized that she was needed when one small child showed up today. I loaned her a couple of my older kids to keep the little girl company.

My mother helped the girl's mother feel comfortable and got acquainted with her. This lady was actually a second-cousin of my mother's that she had never met before and had recently connected with on Facebook. She was looking for a church to go to and said that the other churches in town didn't seem like a good fit. This lady's looking for God, my mother had a chance to help her find Him.

Everyone seemingly doing insignificant things, but God sees things differently. These are seeds of the gospel being planted in hearts. Seeds are small and insignificant, but can grow into majestic trees.

A few of our newer kids at church, recently went to a larger church that's in the next town and said that they didn't like it because of how they felt there--left out and overlooked. That doesn't mean all big churches overlook people. Different churches have different personalities-ours is a simple, country church. Since we're so small, no visitor or new person has much of a chance of escaping our notice. Every head turns when our sanctuary doors open. Just simply being a friend makes a difference.

For me, a small church was where I needed to be when I first came in. I was shy and uncomfortable being in church in the first place. The little things the people there did, made a huge difference in my life. One man would say to me every week--I am praying for you. When the storms of life hit--I held onto those words, knowing he was praying. Every week, a sweet, elderly lady would stand at prayer and praise time and with face aglow with love, she would speak of her best friend Jesus--I wanted that. She was showing me that a friendship with God was possible and what it looked like. The pastor's wife conducted a small class for my babies, handing them felts to put on the board, teaching them little prayers, telling Bible stories and singing songs. In the wide scheme of things, maybe these things don't seem so important, but they were vital for my family. If they had not done the little things, I wonder where we would be today.

So if you feel like what you're doing doesn't matter much, just remember that it does in God's eyes and in the lives you touch. Whether you are in a small church or a large one, everything you do makes a difference. Each soul is important to God.

The Lord desires that His word of grace shall be brought home to every soul. To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ's method. His work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience. Through that one soul the message was often extended to thousands. . . . There are multitudes who will never be reached by the gospel unless it is carried to them. ~My Life Today, p. 232

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. 
~Mother Teresa