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Small Things, by John Miller

“Who shall despise the day of small things?” asked an ancient prophet. Good question. The answer is thought provoking with application today: Nearly everyone has despised or ignored the “day of small things” at one time or another. And, is it any wonder? We live in a world of big news, big companies, big deals, and big wigs. Small things? Who has time for that? The answer: The wise, the prudent, and the truly successful.
“Who shall despise the day of small things?” asked an ancient prophet. Good question. The answer is thought provoking with application today: Nearly everyone has despised or ignored the “day of small things” at one time or another. And, is it any wonder? We live in a world of big news, big companies, big deals, and big wigs.
     Small things? Who has time for that? The answer: The wise, the prudent, and the truly successful.  Imbedded in every successfully executed “big deal” are innumerable “small things” that go unnoticed unless they are missing. George Eliot put it this way: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
     Consider this: What made last week’s “big deal” possible when you purchased the hand crafted walnut bedroom set on sale at the store down the street? “Well, I saw it on sale in The Bargain Hunter and hurried on down to the store and bought it before someone else got there.”
     That made it possible? Perhaps, but it is only partially true. Consider how the bed got to the store in the first place and do not forget the ad in The Bargain Hunter. Someone wrote it, typeset it, printed it, packed it, and delivered it to your door, before you read it—all a series of “small,” tedious acts that require dedication and skill.
     Even that is only a small snapshot of what made your “big” purchase of a family heirloom in generations to come possible. Consider how many dedicated craftsmen got up in the morning, went to work, and applied their skills with dedication and passion, to cut, plane, sand, and shape the rough cut hardwood into the cherished heirloom that you are proud to own.
      The list goes on: We did not mention the tree selection, the transport to the mill, the sawyer, the dry kiln, nor the cycle of nature that produced the tree. Last but not least, we must remember the squirrel that buried the walnut as part of his winter stash half a century ago and then forgot about it.
     What is my point? It is all about small things. Emily Dickenson correctly observed, “If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves.”
     Small people covet great things and contribute little of lasting value. Great people do small things and make a big difference in the lives of many.
     Our lives rely on innumerable unnoticed, unappreciated, but essential “small things” performed every day by an army of unsung heroes that make our world a better place. They have learned that life consists of appreciating and doing the small things.
     That fact is very good because when a truly big deal comes along, we can take comfort knowing we are in good hands because “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones.”

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