BIG or Little?

Americans are BIG. We have big houses and drive big cars compared to other places in the world. We build big buildings and big stadiums. We have big movie stars who make big money. They throw big parties and spend their big money.
We eat Big Macs with our big super sized combos and then we are big in size. We have big government and big egos. We are just BIG!

That big mentality spills over into our attitudes and desires, even if we aren’t one of those big movie stars with big money. All of this BIG has caused us to think, even the smallest of us, that bigger is better. I read a children’s book this summer by Will Hobbs titled Go Big or Go Home. I think that sums up our attitude. If it isn’t big enough, we don’t want it and the little things don’t matter any more. It is a shame, but I think that is where we are in our attitudes.

This “big” thing began to dawn on me while I was deep in my Esther study the other day. Beth Moore has been talking about our personal destinies so, of course, I’ve been thinking, “What is my personal destiny? What am I supposed to be doing?” I’ve asked the Lord this for a long time now and I get a little bit of an idea along the way. He has been good to give me direction but I’ve never felt like “This is it!” Maybe it's just never been BIG enough for me to say, "Okay. That's it."

So, I started questioning my motive about wanting to know. I’ve been praying every morning, “Lord search my heart and keep my intentions pure,” and He has been faithful to do that. I’ve been questioning a lot about myself lately and I know it is because of that prayer. Most of the time I don’t like what I see and this big thing is no exception. It suddenly dawned on me that I want my destiny to be BIG. A big book to write or a big Sunday School class to teach or big attendance to some place I speak or . . . I don’t know . . . just BIG. Oh, the shame of my motive - but it is true.

I have fallen victim to the BIG mentality of America. Go BIG or go home! If it isn’t big, we don’t want it. If it is going to happen to us, we want it to be big. What is up with that? I’m not a big person, in terms of sphere of influence, nor do I really want to be. My house is small, by American standards. My car is small. (We won’t talk about my truck.) My circle of friends is small. And you know what? I like it that way. Why am I thinking about the BIG?

Really, "the BIG thing" is what I wanted in my heart when I asked the Lord about my destiny. I wanted the BIG. I’ve been trained to think that way – television, movies, news reports, seeing big houses and big cars and hearing about other people’s big stories. The world has influenced me. But, I must remember . . . I am not of this world. I am a child of God and I should see things differently. God’s economy is not the world’s economy.



May the Word of God remind me of what He has said to me.

Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

John 15:19: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world . . .”

1 Corinthians 3:19: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. . .”

1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

1 Peter2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

John 3:30: “He must become greater. I must become less.”

I am chosen out of this world, not to be a part of it but to be a child of God. It is not good for me to gain the world, for the world’s wisdom is foolishness to God. When I love the things of the world, desiring what it offers and feeling full of pride, I am not loving my Lord for he is not part of the world. His will should be my desire, not my own. He is greater. I am less.

Oh LORD, I understand that something very small here on earth could be HUGE in your sight. I understand that substitute teaching my very small Sunday School class could be the very thing you have called my to do, even though it doesn’t seem very big to my eyes. I understand that sending someone a note of encouragement or a $20 bill could be BIG in your economy. I understand that I am called to do Your will, not my own and that my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. (Isaiah 55) Give me a desire to do Your will. Make me content to do whatever it may be, no matter how small. Let me think about the small things as if they are monumental . . .because really they just might be the one huge thing that makes a difference in someone’s spiritual life. Give me eyes to see things Your way, LORD. Give me a sense of purpose, even when I’m doing something that seems miniscule to me. Bigger is not better in Your eyes, LORD. Remind me that Your thoughts are different. Faith. Build my faith, so that I will seek Your will and not my own. In Jesus’ mighty name I ask these things . . .

And on a more personal note . . . David, I hope these words were wise enough for you this morning! Thanks for being a faithful reader and making me post something new. Keep reminding me. Of course, you could make a comment every now and then.