Serving Up Jesus in Little Ways

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” -- Thérèse de Lisieux

In my post, yesterday, I introduced St Therese of Lisieux who served God in such beautiful, “little ways”. I was amused when I saw this second photo of a St. Therese magnet that's displayed on a refrigerator. It's reminding that family of St. Therese's "little ways" which includes being a baby sitter. I love that. It speaks to my heart, especially in the season I’m in when I no longer give my life 24/7 to a husband and children and not working a 9 to 5 job. In this “3rd act of my play”, I find myself doing many “little things” in many “little ways” to serve God. It’s a sweet way to live one day at a time and serving in the process. One of my “little ways” is this post and blog each day -- just doing my part to spread some good news. Jesus showed us, through His actions, that serving others is important. When we truly understand what Jesus has done for us, we desperately want others to know Him and to find the same joy and hope we have. Telling people is not enough. We must show them. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and sometimes, use words." In James 2:18, James wrote “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Our days are made up of opportunities to be “on call” to be Christ’s hands and feet. Jesus was the role model for serving up “little ways”. He took a “little boy’s” little lunch and fed an enormous crowd. He healed the blind man with a little of His spit and mixed it with dirt and made a "little" mud plaster for his eyes. He told the “little children” to come to Him. He directed the disciples to get a "little" coin out of a fish's mouth to pay their taxes. Quite frankly, LITTLE is MUCH when God is in it.

And that is where we step up to notice the opportunities we have for living in the "little ways mentality" of SERVING UP JESUS daily! No small deeds should ever be taken for granted: taking out the trash, cleaning up the dinner dishes, baby sitting, giving an encouraging word to a cashier, sending a little note of encouragement to a friend or family member, volunteering at church, cleaning out our closets and attics and taking the unneeded items to a charity or homeless shelter. Just taking a "little" time to LISTEN, without distractions, to those in our life. So many "little ways" that will pay off in such BIG dividends!

As I type this post today, I’m thinking about someone that needs a phone call of encouragement. I’m thinking about those excess clothes that need to taken to a charity. I'm thinking about my neighbor who will be caring for her sister after surgery and I need to cook up some compassion and take them some meals.

More than the BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST accomplishments, I desire to be known as a "little ways” friend, servant, and family member. I desire to be conscious of being Christ’s hands and feet. After all, if I don’t go, who will?

Measuring Up to God’s GREAT Expectations

We seem to always be striving for something big, bigger, or biggest. You know what I mean. The BIG “catch”; the HUGE promotion; the better paid job; running the FULL marathon; to write the #1 Best Selling book; to be the Valedictorian of the Senior Class; to be the "First" Chair in the band; to have the largest office in the complex; to have the most pristine yard in the neighborhood. In reality, all of those examples are OUR expectations and NOT God’s.

A conversation with a friend prompted me to write this post today. We had been talking about the pressures we place on ourselves to BE, DO and HAVE. We find ourselves in a “measuring up” mentality. And, along with the GREAT expectations we put on our own shoulders, we think that God is holding out His yardstick measuring us also. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote: “Who you are is God’s gift to you, but what you make of yourself, is your gift to God.” I love that quote, but inside that quote is “what YOU MAKE of yourself”. That’s pressure no matter how you look at it – especially in the light of pleasing God. After all, HE EXPECTS us to MEASURE UP! (Not!)

I wished that a TV camera had been in on our conversation because I could sense we were unveiling a marvelous “freedom from striving” lesson. The more we talked about God’s expectations for us, the more we realized how much He takes pleasure in us when we are simply living and being in each day, not in the pressure of BIG accomplishments or achieving first place in anything.

We talked about Saint Therese of Lisieux (affectionately known as the “Little Flower”) who was known for her “little ways” of pleasing God and others. St. Therese became a Carmelite nun at the age of 15. With characteristic humility, she wrote in her memoir “Story of A Soul”, about doing everything in life, especially the little things, out of love for God and for our neighbors. She showed so much love for our Lord in answering His call for humility and service that she made the ordinary extraordinary!

Therese saw herself as "the Little Flower of Jesus" because, not like a brilliant rose or elegant lily, she was just like the simple wild flowers in forests and fields, unnoticed by the greater population, yet growing and giving glory to God. This is how she understood herself before the Lord -- blooming where God had planted her. Her "little way" teaches us to do the ordinary things of life with extraordinary love. A smile, a note of encouragement, a phone call, always having a positive word, a simple unnoticed task to brighten the life of another, and so many other simple deeds, done with love. The smallest action, done with love, is more important than great deeds done for personal glory, gratification or simply out of obedience.

Even in prayer, Therese teaches simplicity - talking to God and Jesus in direct, personal and heartfelt ways. She did not like long prayers. She fell asleep during community prayer. She prayed from her heart as a child speaks honestly and trustingly to a parent they love. Therese was faithful to the Gospel of Jesus and the core of His message.

While God probably didn’t call us to be a cloistered nun outside of the realm of competition and achievements, I think that the verse that describes how God measures our ways is best found in Proverbs 3:5,6 “TRUST in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, but IN ALL YOUR WAYS, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” God’s measuring stick isn’t a measuring stick at all, it’s a bulldozer that clears the roads for His kids who in all their LITTLE WAYS acknowledge Him.