Small Big Things

Zechariah 4:8-10

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin. (Zechariah 4:10)

EDWARD KIMBALL WAS a Sunday school teacher at a church in Boston—not an unimportant role, and certainly a worthwhile investment of time and energy. But Kimball is hardly known in Christian history except for one key contribution: He visited a young man named Dwight Moody, who was working at a shoe store, and led him to Christ. Moody became the best-known evangelist of the nineteenth century, preaching to as many as 100 million people, influencing numerous other ministers and evangelists who had considerable influence of their own, and founding Moody Church and Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, institutions that have trained many for Christian service. One visit to a shoe shop changed the face of evangelicalism and millions of lives.

That story is often told to encourage people who feel that they have little influence in God’s Kingdom, and for understandable reasons. Kimball surely made many positive contributions to society and the people who knew him, but he is known for influencing one person who influenced millions of others. He is an example of a small catalyst that prompts a big change, the power of minor events to effect major movements, a case study in how the Kingdom of God often works. For every person who thinks he or she has nothing to offer, Kimball stands as a reminder that one conversation can change the course of history.

Do not think of your contributions to God’s work as small things or dismiss their potential to change lives. You may never see significant impact this side of heaven, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t had any. You don’t know what your faithfulness has accomplished, and it isn’t your job to figure it out. God does, and he will treasure your gifts. Use them well, use them faithfully, and leave the results to him. From your perspective in eternity, you will be grateful for the things you have done. Even now, people who are being influenced by your life probably already are.

{Lord, it’s easy to feel like my work is never enough—that the needs are too great and my offerings are too small. Change the way I see. Give me glimpses of impact. Teach me to be grateful for the privilege of serving you, even in apparently insignificant ways. Amen.