The power of small things

We recently had a small crisis at our house: The adhesive glue that bonds our kitchen sink to the countertop stopped adhering, causing the sink to collapse down into the cabinet below and severing the drain pipe in the process. Repairs were delayed for several days due to the lingering effects of the January ice storm, which brought with it below-freezing temperatures for nearly 80 straight hours. 

The sunk sink—which left us washing dishes in a bathtub for several days—wasn’t the only problem. We still needed to drip that kitchen faucet to keep the pipes from freezing. Since the dripping water had no way to drain, we decided to catch it in a large, plastic storage container that we would just have to empty every few hours.

Dumping that container in the mornings after the faucet had been dripping all night was an especially loathsome task. The water would slosh back and forth and, despite my best efforts, splash over the edge of the container and onto the living room floor as I awkwardly shuffled to the bathroom tub to empty it.

But each time I poured out that water, something occurred to me. The container, now half full and heavy, started with a single drop. And then another. And then another … until it was something much more formidable. 

Yes, you know where I’m going with this. You should. We all should. It’s not rocket science. We know the little things add up. And yet somehow, I continually forget this. I want what I want, and I want it now. I want more money in savings. I want to lose a few pounds. I want to read more books. Unfortunately, now only comes in one size, and it’s not little drops. 

It’s March, which means for many, the goals and resolutions set at the end of December (or on the morning of Jan. 1) have long been forgotten. When this happens to me, I look back and realize some of the goals I set at the beginning of the year weren’t as important as I once thought. But others do matter and I want to reclaim them. My sink crisis served as yet another God-given reminder that finding momentum to accomplish my goals and  dreams begins not with a downpour, but with a few small drops. It’s a dollar in savings. It’s one less fast food meal. It’s setting a 10-minute timer to finally start chipping away at the book I bought two years ago. These things add up. 

I can’t help but think about God’s Word. For many of us, it feels as unwieldy as trying to walk with a sloshing container full of water. The Bible covers thousands of years of human history and parts can be difficult to understand. And yet, it’s miraculously simple and accessible to anybody. 

We don’t talk about this much, but churches are full of people who are ashamed of what they perceive as their lack of biblical knowledge, and they’re scared to death someone will ask them a question they might not be able to answer. I suppose that’s just where Satan wants us—intimidated, tentative, and distant from God and His truth.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The reality is, God’s Word is for you. Not just the scholars. Not just the experts. It’s for you. 

All you’ve got to do to start owning that truth is to drip the faucet. God will provide the increase.