Small things GREAT love…simple but hard

Mother Theresa said..
"There are no great things...just small things done with great love."

The Apostle Paul said... in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
" God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."

I confess.
I don't like the thoughts of being foolish.
I would rather be considered wise.
I am not a fan of being weak.
Strength is the goal.
Lowly...hmmmmm....is that the same as humble?
I can be humble...no really…I have been practicing…
And I have enough self hatred to fill a football stadium... is that the same as lowly?

It’s not?

Crap.

Small things…with great love…

No one I know goes around saying they want to accomplish small things with their lives.

Where is the ambition in that?

Where is the drive?

It is great things…or nothing.

Leave your mark…or your star on the sidewalk…

Make a name for yourself.

Small things?

That is not what we are indoctrinated with from our infancy in this country.

It’s BIG THINGS…big business…big impact….big rewards….

BIG job…big account…big investments…big dreams…

In Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about ordinary radicals.

An oxymoron to most of us.

He declares unapologetically, that true generosity is not measured by how much you give away…but by how much you have left…in light of your neighbors need.

Can we live another way?

Different than the way we are living now?

Do we want to?

I have heard it said that Christian scholarship in this century is what protects us from the bible itself.

We really do NOT have to live like Jesus…or do what he did.

Seriously.

We don’t.

I don’t.

Why is that?

It is foolishness of course.

Ahhhh…

He said we would do greater things…

And we latched onto that…

GREATER things than Jesus… wow…

That I can agree to.

Sign me up.

Did you ever stop to think about what is greater than healing the sick or raising the dead?

Calming storms… or pulling money out of the mouth of a fish?

What is greater?

Love flowing from sinners…born into sin…giving it all away…laying it all down...loving one’s neighbor as oneself…

This is greater.

And we want the star on the walk of Christian fame.

God have mercy.

I have been thinking lately about sheep and goats and tares and wheat.

A little bit of terror has crept onto my horizon.

This fear…of God…is good for my soul….

I have discovered in my barren landscape…my devastated wasteland…

That I have more wells than I need for myself.

I have more seed…

More love.

More time.

More.

All I have is his.

If I keep while someone else lacks…I am stealing... I am a thief.

I am.

God forgive me.

Small things.

Great love.

Simple…yet hard.

Time to begin.

He said “Follow me.”

He meant it.

Two coats?

Two pairs of shoes? ( yeah right)

Two beds?

Two cars?

Two houses?

Do we dare?

Small things….

Great love.

Greater things.

Simple.

Hard.

Possible.