Monday, April 22, 2013

Being Faithful in the Little Things (Part 1)

I’m writing you from a rustic setting in a very different place today. We're up at our little two-room house in the woods that we call our “farm.” It is not really a farm in the sense of growing crops, but there are several acres in the country out here where my husband has planted some fruit trees and put in a pond. He and our boys like to come up here to hunt and fish.

My hubby loves being outside so right now, he's riding the tractor while cutting the grass. Mary and I are inside. It's a tiny bit chilly today, when the sun hides behind the clouds. Mary is listening to some materials she brought on audio, and I'm writing you. There's no running water or electricity out here, but it's mighty cozy (there's a rain barrel to wash hands and dishes). My hubby installed a "bathroom" with us girls mostly in mind. 

The funny thing is, I really didn’t want to come out here today. It’s not that I didn’t want to come, it’s just that I had other things at home I wanted to do. My sons were coming but because of some timing conflicts they couldn’t come, and my husband was disappointed. I sensed that God wanted us girls to come instead to keep my hubby company. It's not good for man to be alone that has a family!

Even though he is outside right now on the tractor, and we’re inside, he just likes having us here with him. We’ve been quite busy for several days in a row, and now I’m thinking this is just what the doctor ordered as all I can hear now is the sound of the wind blowing in the trees, barely mixed with my hubby’s tractor motor much further off in the distance.

Last time, I told you how God had whispered in my ear to look for Him in the tiny thing. You can read that post here. He had gently nudged me in the direction He wanted me to go as I sat in my seat at a Beth Moore live event, (a choice that would thereby turn me away from the wrong direction and attitude that my natural inclination would've take me and instead steer me in the right attitude and direction that God would have me go), reminding me to do the “next thing” that was right in front of me.

In that particular hour in my arena seat, the tiny thing entailed the simple task of helping my daughter who cannot see to know what the words were appearing on the screen in the worship service, as opposed to the "sensational" work of speaking at a Lifeway mom conference. There were only two prerequisites to accomplish the "little thing" required other than a willing heart—which even a desire to follow Him is a gift from Him—for scripture tells us we love because He first loved us. All that was needed was to:

a) look at the jumbotron screen
b) be able to read

How many of the little duties God has for us are so simple, if we would but do them for His glory!

Get the clothes out of the laundry basket and fold them.
          Pick up the telephone and invite that person on my heart to church.
                    Call out to God for patient endurance when speaking to a particular person.
                              Do the thing my hubby asked me to do...
                              (which usually is not climb Mt. Everest; more like please replace this button) 

Within 24 hours of posting the blog I referred to above, the idea of seeking God through obedience in the little things was reinforced in my quiet time with God and in my normal course of reading through the pen of two people: Oswald Chambers and Richard J. Foster.

Listen first to what Oswald Chambers said about our “readiness” to do what God wants us to do, and it’s relevance to being obedient in the little things:

  ...“We are so busy telling God where we would like to go...We wait with the idea of some great opportunity, something sensational, and when it comes, we are quick to cry, ‘Here am I.’
Readiness for God means we are ready to do the tiniest little thing or the great big thing, it makes no difference. We have no choice in what we want to do, whatever God’s program may be we are there, ready. When any duty presents itself we hear God’s voice as Our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with all the alertness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us as His Father did with Him. He can put us where He likes, in pleasant duties or in mean duties, because the union is that of the Father and Himself...
     Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God (note from Juana: like the one I told you for me from my arena seat last weekend, and the sudden one today, in this place!). A ready person never needs to get ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready when God has called!
                                                                                      -My Utmost for His Highest, April 18

Oh Lord Jesus, By your grace, make us ready people to do the obscure duty—the tiny thing. If You call us to do a great big thing, help us to be equally ready. Amen.

I think that’s enough for us to chew on for now, so I’m going to keep typing here at the farm, and next time I’ll post the continuation of this from what I read from Richard J. Foster on being faithful in the little things.


The "farm" looks nothing like it did 20 years ago.
It was overgrown and covered in underbrush and briars, and had no pond.
My husband faithfully has worked on it little by little doing manual labor
one day at a time with an overall vision in mind.  

My husband likes to use things that people are throwing away like this Merita Bread screen door. The "t" and the "a" were missing so he just painted them on ;-)

Mary was sitting at this table that my hubby made. She didn't want me to take her picture, so no Mary in this one.
Every blue moon, the lamp works if we hook the generator up. 

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much..." -Luke 16:10

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "
-Matthew 25:23

What little thing, beginning with helping your husband, has God asked you to do today?

Walk by Faith,

4 comments:

  1. I needed this today...thank you.

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    1. You go, Girl! Do whatever little thing God has for you today in His name for His glory! Right now I'm about to clear the dishes out of the sink. My hubby loves a clean counter and a dish-free sink (which I can hide about a million dishes in a sink, slight exaggeration, and not be bothered a bit because we have an extra deep sink which I chose for that very purpose when he is not here!) Blessings to you Dawna!

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  2. Ah, so needed this today. My husband asks me to take over our finances all the time. I get so stressed out by it that I don't want to. But I know I have to... I'm dragging my feet. But I need to resolve to do what I know God wants me to do... get that basket of bills out and start paying them! Great, timely post!

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    1. Hi Yasmin! I'm thrilled that my post encouraged you to do "the small duty that is distasteful" to you (how one woman defined the taking up of the cross) in Jesus' name to help your hubby! I bet dreading it is actually worse than just slam plain ole doing it! I'm praying for you right this sec, Yasmin! So so glad to meet you!

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