3 Reasons Small Acts of Service Matter

His piece wasn’t as big as the others Fred realized. Watching the other bugs carry heavier pieces home, Fred dropped his. Why couldn’t he carry something bigger?

fred-1b

Have you ever felt that way? Watching others serve in the big ways you’d like to but can’t. Or have you put a “price tag” on your service, more valuable versus less valuable? (I gotta stop doing it myself.)

Sometimes how I can serve seems so small, while others around me are pulling more weight. But we’ve all been there at one point. It could be age or financial status, but whatever you feel keeps you from serving in “better” ways — replace that idea right now with this:

Serve where you can, with what you have.

My Mom keeps reminding me of this, and it’s really the heart of service, and the key to serving well. Weed out the things you know you can’t do and do what you can.

The trouble is my adventure filled, story driven mind keeps telling me everything I can do is so small in comparison, so why even bother?

It’s a valid question, but one that usually begins the comparison game. Have you ever noticed how comparisons are like potato chips, you can’t make just one? Eventually all you’re left with is a skewed and depressing view of yourself.

But there is an answer to why we bother with the small things.In fact I believe there are 3 main reasons we need to do small acts of service and why we should think better of small acts. (If you’ve got any extra speak your mind below.)

1. God’s interested in my heart, in how I serve, not the size of the service.

It should be obvious to me that God gave all sizes of service, but my mind gets stuck on the big ones. Maybe you can relate, and if you’re in that boat let’s remember…

2. It could be small to you, but big to someone else.

I can’t measure my effect by my opinion. That’s just what’s going on between my two ears.

Telling someone you’re praying for them can make a difference in their life. A difference you might not realize until you’re on the other end of the stick.

3. The only way I’ll be faithful in big things, is to be faithful in small things. (Luke 16:10)

There’s no short cut to being faithful in service to others. You work from the bottom up.

So: Serve where you can, with what you have. Consider every act of service important.

Then your attitude can be a little more like this:

His piece wasn’t as big as the others and Fred was tempted to toss it aside and find a bigger, better one. Instead Fred smiled and hurried on with his tiny piece, it still made a difference.

fred-2b

I’d love to know, how do you serve others in small ways?

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1 Reason Bumblebee’s Make Me Smile

Bumblebee’s are so cute.

When they’re not flying next to my head that is. Then I turn into an arm waving maniac, but today I found this especially sweet one outside!

bumblebee-flower

Did you know that a French entomologist (fancy name for a bug guy) named Antoine Magnan wrote this in his 1934 book Le Vol des Insectes*?:

“First prompted by what is done in aviation, I applied the laws of air resistance to insects, and I arrived, with Mr. Sainte-Laguë, at this conclusion that their flight is impossible.”

That quote is about the chubby bumblebee.

I remember hearing that they shouldn’t be able to fly, but to find that their flight is “impossible” reminds me how great God is.

It doesn’t matter what I think will work, if God wants it to it can work. We just haven’t figured out how He did it yet.

So if you’re feeling down remember you can “do all things through Christ who strengthens” you. (Philippians 4:13) It might feel impossible, but just like the bumblebee if He wants you to be able to do it — you CAN fly.

   “Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” Mary Kay Ash

*Got the translation of Magnan’s work on Wikipedia

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5 Unknown Facts About Little Red Riding Hood

In every story about me people seem to leave some things out – important stuff.  You’d think since I’m such a well known character they wouldn’t, but there you’d be mistaken.

5 Things that weren’t in the story.

  1. 1. My name is not exactly Red. My name is Poppy. Yes, Poppy means red, but writers didn’t think Poppy Riding Hood had the same ring. I don’t think so – Poppy Riding Hood… sounds quite nice.
  2. My grandmother wasn’t sick.  She loves to say, “I’ve never been sick a day in my life!”. And scary thing is she’s right.
  3. If she wasn’t sick what happened? Come closer, that’s right get you ear against the screen. She twisted her ankle chasing a rabbit. They’d been getting into her garden and chasing one she missed one of it’s holes and wrenched her foot something awful. Grandmother isn’t one to sit still so I was sent to make sure her foot stood up.
  4. The wolf never swallowed me. That would just be disgusting. (People believed it?) But he was about to turn us into a nice dinner over the fire.
  5. This is what I really look like:

littlered-websm

 

Hope you enjoyed this post. This sketch of Red Poppy Hood was done digitally on my new tablet. Still getting used to everything, but I had fun making up this post. What do you think?

 

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