Small things, big things. A short Saturday question.

And as soon as I tangle myself up in belief I quit. I give up, I throw in the towel, I let the squirrels win. (If you’ve never read, I have had some epic battles with squirrels so much so that my wife recently met someone at our neighborhood pool who remarked, “I met you before, your husband was trying to kill a squirrel.” That’s apparently my reputation in the streets.)

But lately I’ve started to believe that life change isn’t always about some monumental adventure like moving to a cave in Antarctica to witness to 17 scientists. I’ve started to think it can be about doing one small thing. I’ve started to see that little things have big impact.

Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever done something or learned something small that made a big difference? I’ll go first with two examples:

1. I like to whine to myself, “I wish I read the Bible more.” And then not read the Bible more. And then whine again. It’s a fun little cycle. So instead of doing my typical “I need to be a Bible expert and read the entire thing in one sitting” approach, I’ve been reading a chapter of Proverbs every morning. It’s short, powerful and matched to the days of the month. I find it’s always easier if I have an accountability partner. This September I’m going to start keeping track of it on Twitter for a solid month. No deep message or anything, I’m just going to say one time each day, “I read Proverbs ## today, thought verse ____ was interesting.” But maybe we can hold each other accountable to doing something small. If you’d like to read along and try it for a month with me follow me on Twitter.

2. I once wrote about something that my counselor said when I told him I felt like I was wrestling with God on some issues. He said, “God loves that.” This is not the answer I was expecting. I thought he would say, “You need to trust the Lord more.” Or “You need to let go and let God.” But he didn’t say that. Instead he remarked, “Jon, do you know what is true about wrestling? Have you ever stopped to think about the nature of wrestling? God loves to wrestle with us, because you can’t wrestle with someone who is far away. They have to be close to you. It’s a very intimate, personal activity.” And I think he was right. I think that God wants me close. I think He wants me near to His side, close enough to feel His breath and know His strength. And when I approach to wrestle over an issue with Him, like Jacob wrestling, I don’t think He is angry. I think He is happy, because I am close. Sure, I want to surrender and trust without question, but I no longer see wrestling as instant failure.

Those are two little things I’ve seen have a big impact in my own life.

How about you?

What’s something little you’ve done that made a big change into the way you spend your day, the way you communicate with friends, the way you read the Bible, etc.? It can be an idea, a new action, anything.

What’s something little you’re doing right now? Or something little someone did for you that meant a lot?

Post a comment and tell us because someone on the other side of the planet might need something little today too.