Think you’re too small to make a difference?

We live in a world that is obsessed with size.  We have mega-yachts, mega-millions, even a rock band called Mega-Death.  Whether it’s box office receipts, an earnings reports or the number of followers on UTube — the more you have, the bigger it is, the more successful you are.

Cultural Christianity is no different.  Megachurches and mega-ministries garner lots of attention. And rightfully so.  Numbers spell influence.  Popular Christian artists appear on talk-shows and fill arenas. Top-Christian leaders provide spiritual counsel to government officials.  Revenue from faith-based films has caught the attention of Hollywood and those movies find their way into theaters. Size matters.

But it is not all that matters.  Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God provides a different perspective.  In the Sermon on the Mount he says “you are the salt of the earth”.  Salt crystals are really small.  Yet together they preserve, they flavor.  Jesus’ picture of salt is what one writer called “a small, but effective presence in the world.” 

You may feel as tiny as a crystal of salt. I have no influence.  Au contraire!  Jesus fed thousands of people from a boy’s lunch.  David, defeated a giant with one small stone.  But you say, I have nothing to give.  Remember it was the widow’s mite that caught Jesus’ attention.

The disciples also seemed to think that BIG meant BETTER.  “Increase our faith!” was their cry.  Jesus’ responded: “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  (Luke 17:5,6)  Little also matters.  Little can be powerful.

You see it’s the small, the seemingly insignificant, the one — that can make a life-changing difference.  Years ago, one woman, Sister Elaine, started handing out baloney sandwiches in Patchogue.  Now Lighthouse Mission feeds and provides clothing for thousands of people each year.

I am grateful for ministries that are national/international in their scope.  I applaud churches that are able to attract masses of people.  I admire Christian individuals who serve on the frontline of our culture; whose position allows them to have an influence on a large scale.   But my friend, don’t count yourself out.  You too can make a difference.  As the song says:  Little is much, when God is in it.