Feeling "Small" Can Help You

Smallness is good. I never thought I’d say that, believe it, but today I feel the goodness of it.

Years ago the Lord promised me a vibrant future ministry. His promise came after He called me out of a beloved ministry in which I had been involved for two decades. I had a very tough time resigning. But I obeyed and stepped boldly into God’s new call—only to find dead air. Silence. Aloneness. And it was in that blank space, wearing that nameless mantle that God made His promise:

“All I ever was to you in the past, I will be even more in the future for you shall know more of Me.”

It was an immense promise and greatly soothed my fears and insecurities. It still does. But after eight years, I’m just now figuring out something of what that promise meant—and continues to mean.

It means smallness.

God has become bigger in my life, while I have grown smaller–so much smaller. Each year He pulls a new layer of “me” back, peels it off, and discards it. And with each layer He removes, with every new experience of smallness, I grow smaller still.

And I discover more of God.

But we don’t like to be “small,” do we? While greatness may not always appeal to us, some sort of tangible significance does. Even a brief flash of it would do. At least a light others can see without having to haul out a telescope . . .

But consider this from Miles J. Stanford, “A meteor . . . proceeds to burn out, but not a star with its steady light so often depended upon by navigators.”

A star–from our vantage point, at least—is small. Stanford’s comment reminds us that  the value isn’t found in the size of the light, but in the constancy of it. A friend once said to me, “Bethany . . . always so steady . . . ” At the time, I didn’t grasp the immense compliment. Today I’m beginning to understand.

And discover more of God.

A “small” steady light reflects God more accurately than a brief, bright flash. That makes me wonder how often we sacrifice faithfulness for flare, and forfeit God’s power in the exchange?

I’m learning to embrace my own “smallness” and to ascribe greater value to the “small,” steady lights around me. And I’m appreciating those who may never arc across the sky, but whose “small” faithful glow guides me to God’s safe harbor.

So today if you feel “small,” rejoice! God has positioned you to discover more of Him. Then trust God to use your “smallness” as a marker, a single beam of light to direct others to the eternal Light of lights, the Bright Morning Star . . .

. . . where they too, will discover more of God.

God is the Light of the world, so we only need shine in our own little corner of it to possess a “vibrant ministry.”

What about you?

Where in your life do you feel “small”? How can God use it to direct others to Him today?