I recently ate alone on a park bench. For me this was a luxury. As I sat watching people, a lone sparrow hopped around my feet and ate the crumbs of wheat, hummus and falafel that fell. The sparrow was alert, jumping around and eating quickly. I added to its meal. It occurred to me that I don’t usually notice the sparrows but God does and used me to help feed one of His valued creatures (Matthew 10:29-31).
I rescued a dragonfly from a relative’s pool the other day. It had miscalculated as it skimmed the waters. Its wings were so waterlogged they stuck to the cement on the edge of the pool. I placed it in the sun and admired its markings and lime green eyes twitching in all directions, which I had never noticed before. As the sun dried the wings they became unstuck. The dragonfly began to flutter them. When I was not looking, it flew away—not skimming the water either. It reminded me that when God rescues humans they need support and time to get their life back together again (1 Thessalonians 2:11,12).
I walked past an old cemetery in the middle of a city—large monument stones now grey with age and green with moss, relics of the past, remembering people who lived and died in the 1800s. But no-one cares for the sites anymore—whether the stones were grand or small, the people are largely forgotten by the living. But God knows the dead—He loved them and Jesus gave His life for them. They will be resurrected according to their choice (John 5:28,29).
In these quiet times of reflection in the busyness or business of life—God spoke. The small and ordinary became important and extraordinary. Making the most of small moments is one of the habits I’m trying to develop as a disciple of Jesus.
