Here it is the end of October and I never did post a series on The Call (message series our church was doing.) , and now it is over.  It was a very important and timely series for me... I have been dealing with a lot lately.  Basically I am feeling overwhelmed, underequipped, and inadequate for just about everything in my life recently.  I have also had a MAJOR case of writer's block, probably because writing from an unenergized, somewhat depressed state is not at all my usual style and I just didn't want to bring my blog down with the rest of me.

But actually, something my pastor said on his blog yesterday was probably the best part of the whole series The Call for me.  Go on over there and read it, then come back and read the rest of this... it will make much more sense that way.

The part that really hit me was this:

"I wish I would have had more time to unpack the evolutionary process of God’s call. I wanted to spend more time talking about how surrendered obedience is usually done in very small steps. I remember when the little book Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff came out; I wondered if it was actually just the opposite: go ahead and sweat the Small Stuff…because the Big Stuff is usually way out of your control anyway.

I think we all want the long touchdown pass or the grand slam at the bottom of the ninth. But moving the ball ten yards at a time or advancing the base runner will do the job just fine.

As Jesus put it: “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. (Luke 16:10a New Living Translation). The small things are incredibly important.

Think of these Bible stories: the widow’s two small copper coins…a little boy’s two small fish…faith as small as a mustard seed…the small gate and the narrow road. Or as God spoke to the prophet Zechariah: “The people should not think that small beginnings are unimportant.” (Zechariah 4:10a New Century Version)

It's small things done with great love." (taken from Dave's blog)

That is SO TRUE.  I have been feeling so down because it just feels so overwhelming when I think of EVERYTHING that needs to be done, fixed, addressed, completed, started, addressed, etc.  But somewhere along the way, I lost the ability to see that all of these huge things break down into very small pieces, and that if I am faithful in those small things, the big things will start to get addressed.

It's like the cliche about eating an elephant one bite at a time.  Kind of a "duh" thing.  But I really needed that... I have been sitting here thinking lightning better strike and get me caught up or it would never happen! 

So here I sit, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that I am called to train and teach my children, love my husband, create a safe, warm and ordered home for my family, reach out and serve in my community, all for service to the Lord and for His glory.  I am going to remember those stories from the Bible, and start just doing the things, small as they are, that I can do with great love.  And I will pray that as I do those small things with great love, that eventually they will add up and change the world.

Will you pray for me, that I will stay outwardly focused on others and that I will be faithful and focused on doing the small things?  I have been totally hit over the head with the fact that my overwhelmed feeling came from a selfish place of being totally focused on ME and my own needs/wants/ desires.

Create in me a servant's heart, Oh Lord!

Thank God that