Matthew 13: The Little Things
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He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
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Jesus told this parable to teach his disciples to pay attention to the little things. Sometimes those things that look insignificant are the ones that grow into something big.
I love to tell little children the Cherokee story, “How the People Got Fire.” In this tale the animals are worried about their little two-legged brothers and sisters. They have no fur and no way to keep warm. So the animals ask the Creator to send help, and God responds by sending lightning to strike a great cottonwood tree.
Deep in the heart of the tree a fire glows, and that gift will save the two-leggeds. But the tree is on an island surrounded by frigid waters. Who will go to retrieve the fire? One by one the biggest and strongest animals try and fail. Each of them is marked by the failure. Raven was turned from shimmering blue to black by the soot. Coyote’s mouth was burned. Owl’s eyes were singed. One after another tried and failed.
At last the little water spider came forward. The other animals laughed at her. “How will you carry fire? You are too little,” they said. But the water spider weaved a tiny silk bowl to carry on her back. She skittered across the water, then put a live coal in her bowl. She skittered back before the coal grew cold, but the heat of that coal touched her back. To this day she bears a red mark where she was almost burned.
That story is a lot of fun. I get to teach the Cherokee names and let the children act like the animals. But there is a serious message there too. Sometimes the biggest and strongest do not accomplish the greatest things. Sometimes the smallest one among us is the bravest. And sometimes the tiniest deed of compassion will grow to reveal huge consequences.
That effort left a mark on Water Spider. Doesn’t it always leave a mark when you care deeply? Sacrificial love always changes you.
Oh, there’s one more thing this story tells us: we never get too big, or strong, or wise to learn from the littlest ones among us. We dare not overlook their offerings, for the smallest gifts often carry the biggest results.
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O creator, I often believe that the race always goes to the swift and the strong. I pay attention to those with the most power and influence because I think they matter most. Forgive me when I overlook the littlest ones. Give me a heart to learn from those who love best, no matter how small they are.