Little Things Aren’t Little
It is not uncommon for me to say “the little things aren’t little,” and I try to live in a way that allows those words to become true. To recognize the sunflower field on the side of the road, or how the people you love say your name, or how colorful leaves float in the air a bit longer during October, or how we all linger in the moments that just mean a little more. Here’s an example of a few days where the little things shined bright, and those “little things aren’t little” words came alive - in my eyes, my mind, my journal scribbles, and my life…
On a Saturday night, I watched About Time with my all-time favorite actress, Rachel McAdams (she is also the co-star in my favorite movie ever, The Vow). I cried for pretty much the last half of the film, contemplating the depth it portrays. We will experience pain, this is inevitable, but we will grow magnificently through it. The little things are not little. They never have been. And what is meant to be will always come to pass. I love the profound examples this movie lays out if you press in.
The next day was spent with friends, both known and new, celebrating the anniversary of a church plant. After canoeing on a stunning pond for a while, four of us stood next to the water and connected over stories and shared experiences. Building relationship. Becoming part of each other’s lives. There is such beauty in intentionality and the way it fosters immediate connection.
That night I went on a long walk with a friend. We drank Chai tea and bundled in sweatshirts to watch the sunset. The leaves were becoming vibrant in front of our eyes, still holding onto the trees, and the air was cool on our noses. As we walked, we entered into incredible depth. This isn't rare for us. She's the kind of friend where no conversation is too daunting. The dreams, the heartache, the fears, it’s all welcomed. It has been from the moment we met. The difference in this friendship is every single conversation is Kingdom-minded. There’s honesty and vulnerability because of the well of truth that runs deep through the center.
The next night I rocked a baby to sleep and thanked God for the precious life in my hands as her tiny fingers reached for mine. It’s in these fleeting moments that Love Himself sends little love notes. For that, I am grateful.
The next morning, I continued reading One Small Boat by Kathy Harrison, who writes simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful books about her family's experience with foster care and adoption. As I continue to deeply wrestle with the Lord about the messiness and tangled web that is getting involved in foster care, some words from this book sink deep, “I used the lessons I learned from the children…who had come to me over the years with losses and betrayals beyond my comprehension. Children who cried but woke up in the morning and loved again.” I consider my relationship with children all over the world that bring these few sentences to life for me and know this invitation is undeniably my calling.
That night I drove into the city for Culture/Tuesday Church, where a few twenty-somethings gather together each week to lead, worship, and open the Word alongside 20-ish teenage girls who desire to know more, to come to know their Creator. The One true lover of their soul. What a gift. I cried on the way home listening to One House Worship sing “I’m surrendered to the wind of Your Spirit with my heart in my hands” in their new song “Surrendered.” If that’s not the song of my heart right now. More on that as the story continues to unfold…
Two days later a friend sent me a post on Instagram about an event in the streets of Manhattan called “The Longest Table.” Hundreds of people gather to connect, share a meal, and even if only for a few minutes, truly invite each other in. The friend who sent this to me sent a simple message saying, “you’d love this.” I imagined going with her to this event, how we’d laugh together in the kitchen making food to take, how we’d walk away arm in arm with a sigh of gratitude for a day well spent, with expectation for flourishing new relationships. I recognized the simplicity in her words, “you’d love this,” and allowed myself to feel how grand it is to be known and loved. Truly known and deeply loved by the people I call mine. We were made for connection like this. For “this made me think of you becuase I know who you are” kind of relationships.
After some truly beautiful moments, I'm still just collecting the breadcrumbs and reflecting with gratitude. Ultimately, all I know for now is the little things aren’t little and He’s a God of the details if only we look.