The phrase “small things with great excellence” has been rattling around inside my head, lately.
Small things, great excellence.
What changes when I believe this?
It changes how I do the dishes. It changes how I enter a conversation, how I love my siblings, how I sweep the floor, how I write letters, how I study in college, how I welcome people into my home, how I write these blogs, how I love the lost and found people, how I give away my time.
Here in South Africa, every afternoon we walk down the streets and just talk to the people. If I want to do small things, like talking to strangers on the street, with great excellence, it changes my entire mindset. I could settle for a kind conversation that brightens their day. Or I could talk about salvation and how Jesus can give them an eternity with him. Which is more excellent?
If I pray to do everything – small things with great excellence – nothing is the same.
How often do I settle for adequate? How often do I complete the minimum of what’s required of me and still feel accomplished?
The small things add up. Houses are made from individual bricks and books consist of many words. But if the bricks are weak and crumble, the house won’t last very long. If a book is full of a second grader’s vocabulary, it’s not really worth reading. The smaller parts determine the value of the whole. In the same way, the small things I do contribute to the weight of the impact my life makes. Think about this:
God gives us small things, and if we cannot handle them with excellence, why would he ever entrust the big things to us? If we can’t handle simple responsibility, should he entrust others’ salvation to us? That’s been on my heart lately.
Too many people (myself included) have subconsciously accepted this lie: Because my life isn’t fulltime ministry, I am not responsible for living out the excellence the Lord calls me to.
We are just people. As a church body, we are just people, and we have chosen to walk in average competence. Think about how much more the church would be capable of, if each person did small things with great excellence.
What this realistically looks like in life changes day to day, but some things are constant. “1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
God’s glory is the constant. So, if I’m doing the dishes, they are going to be sparkling and clean. If I am walking down the street, I am going to stop and get to know the beggar’s story. If I am going to give people my time, I am going to do it in love and generosity. Why? Because it’s for Gods glory and he calls us to live in excellence. “2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you—make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.”
Each day, I sit in a class room with over forty adults who are taking classes to one day be able to hold a skilled job. I spend hours sitting at the table, sharing in discussion and asking questions. If I settled, and did what was required of me, I would read off a paper and stare off into space, and maybe have an occasional conversation. Or I can invest in who these men and women are. I can ask them the hard questions. I can open up about my own life, hurt, struggles, and relationship with the Lord. Excellence may cost more, but it also lasts longer.
That’s why we buy things made of high quality.
I find myself chasing a life that excels in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in eagerness, in love, and in kindness, it starts with the small things.
I am praying for God to grow this mindset in me, that every time I wake up, I have the mindset “small things with great excellence.”
thank you for reading and for praying : )
Much love,
Kara
