Small Is Tremendous

A WORD FROM PEGGY

A few weeks ago we went to the Concert at Harmon Park in Kearney, to listen to Zoe Lewis and The Rubber Band. The name itself was worth going for! However, they proved to be a delight, with their music and their stories. It was FUN. One of the songs that has stuck with me is “Small is Tremendous.” Part of this is due to the fact that as Zoe sang out, “It’s the little things!” the audience responded loudly with “that make the biggest sense!” But it’s true, isn’t it? Think about it. It is the little things. As we listened to the music, I noticed two little girls dancing their hearts out in the grass near the stage. They were lost in joy, waving their arms, giggling, their curls bouncing, their feet shoeless, and they just let the music scoop them up and take them somewhere beautiful.
Music is one of those “little things” that keeps me going. It soothes me when I’m anxious, it inspires me when I’m dull, it gives me joy. It connects me to people. It’s easy to forget what’s most important in this life, when there’s so many “big” things coming at us: bills, terrorism, war, taxes, stress at work, stress at home, etc., etc. It’s easy to get consumed by all that and lose our vision. But it’s the little things that make the biggest sense. A new baby, wide-eyed and drooling on their mother’s shoulder in a restaurant. A little kid who catches your eye at a reception and starts playing hide and seek with you behind their father’s leg. The joy of people being together, laughing, teasing, telling stories, loving each other by simply being there with one another. Hearing about one of your own doing mission work in New Orleans, and helping to support him. Having your child get through their first day of junior high and still smiling! Seeing someone come out of their shell a bit and try something new. Realizing you have a friend who would do anything for you, and you for them. Having your 12 year old say, “let’s do something together as a family.”
Larry and I went tent-camping for a few days for our 15th anniversary. Wow. Three whole days, just the two of us! It was delicious. I love camping. Everything takes time, you can’t rush it. You have to work together to get the tent up, or to get food prepared. You need to gather wood and sticks to make a fire, and it’s a wonderful feeling when it finally burns!! You have to slow down to camp. We met a couple from California who were moving to North Carolina in a well-used camper. We met a retired state trooper who told us a story of realizing he was laying on a bull snake when he was doing a stake-out. We met bikers coming back from Sturgis with their brand new T-shirts.
Mustard seeds. Jesus likes the little things too. Because he knows it’s the little things that make the bigger things possible. A kind word. A gentle touch. A friend for life. Having someone love you for who you are. A cup of coffee with your favorite people. A broken friendship mended, the past forgiven. Sitting around a campfire with people you love. Seeing your family in Christ every Sunday and at potlucks and Bible Studies and birthday parties and anniversary celebrations and at the Concert in the Park. There’s a lot of things in this crazy world that don’t make sense. But it is indeed the little things that make the biggest sense!
Peggy