This month I’m happy to share a guest post from my new friend, Cheryl. I hope you’ll be encouraged by her words!
Grace to Serve Small – by Cheryl Balcom
Do you feel that what you do is too small to be of use to the Lord? Or that it is insignificant compared to the offerings of others? Do you think that the resources you have are not big enough, splashy enough, and don’t reach far enough to make a difference?
Sometimes I wrestle with this too.
Our calling may be to use our financial position to bless others in need or to fund an important ministry. Our calling may also be to invite a widow to dinner and let her share what she’s learned in her life. It may be to faithfully care for someone who has physical or mental difficulties.
The ways we minister are as varied as we are! Some of us may feel like we don’t have much to offer, or we may have a severe challenge we think would prevent us from ministering to others.
Annie Johnson Flint lived from 1866 to 1932, and from a young age she loved to experiment with verse. However, as a young adult, she began to experience symptoms of severe arthritis, making her unable to complete just her third year of teaching primary school. Her affliction grew worse, so much so that she eventually was no longer able to walk.
She was still able, however, to clumsily grasp a pen between twisted fingers and write out her beautiful poems of worship to God. Though she rarely left her house, she was able to minister profoundly through her writing. And her poems were made into greeting cards and published in magazines around the world.
She went to be with the Lord when she was sixty-five, but what a gift she left behind for those who long to praise Him here on earth!
I pray today that if you think you are hindered by your current situation and are unable to serve the Lord or minister to others, you will be encouraged by Annie’s story and her poem (below).
In the past, there were times when I believed I needed to do a “big” thing to honor the Lord, like adopt a child, go to Africa on a mission trip, or make hefty donations to large ministries. However, God has taught me through the years that the most important thing I can do is to remain faithful, no matter what He lays before me.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV).
Every Sunday, my husband and I pick up our adult daughter, who has Williams Syndrome, and my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s, and we bring them to our home for lunch and a visit. It’s not fancy, but we are doing our best to love the precious people God has given us to love. He has not called every one of His followers to do the “big” things listed above, but He has called us to be faithful, no matter where He places us.
I often tell my kids that the best way to change the world is to start by loving the person right in front of you. It may seem obvious, but those small, faithful acts of love can result in changed hearts. And not just for the one who receives them.
If your heart is filled with a big desire to honor God and love and serve others, don’t let the size of your opportunity hinder you. The enemy would love for you to think, “That’s not good enough. Why bother?” Instead, see every small interaction, every kind word, every little thing you do as a way to share God’s love. He will let nothing go to waste.
Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough” (Matthew 13:33 NLT).
“In A Small Place”
from He Giveth More Grace: One Hundred Poems by Annie Johnson Flint
Fret not because thy place is small,
Thy service need not be,
For thou canst make it all there is
Of joy and ministry.
The dewdrop, as the boundless sea,
In God’s great place has part;
And this is all He asks of thee;
Be faithful where thou art.
In thee His mighty hand can show
The wonders of His grace,
And He can make the humblest room
A high and holy place.
Thy life can know the blessedness
Of resting in His will;
His fullness flows unceasingly,
Thy cup of need to fill.
His strength upon thy weakness waits,
His power for thy task.
What more, O child of all His care,
Could any great one ask?
Cheryl Balcom is the author of Winds of Grace: Losing My Father, Surrendering Control, and Growing in Faith, a memoir inspired by tracing the hand of God through the pages of her prayer journals. Cheryl also writes to help the perfectionist find peace in God’s perfect grace at cherylesperbalcom.com. She and her husband live on five acres tucked in the corner of southwest Michigan, where they enjoy watching wildlife wander through the yard.
