Small but still significant

Do you have to be a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist to make a difference? Do you have to be a super model or a movie star to be admired? Do you have to be a millionaire to be successful?

The world says yes, but God says no.

There are some who are meant to create wonderful inventions, make huge discoveries, solve grand mysteries. There are many more  who are meant to do smaller, but not less important, things.

Saint Therese was born Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin on January 2, 1873. Her life was short and small and sickly, but her life was significant. She saw herself as a small wildflower, unnoticed by most but treasured by God as he treasures even the smallest flowers in the field.

“I understand how all the flowers God has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. So it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.” – St. Therese

Just because you do not find the cure for cancer does not mean that you are insignificant …

… to the girl eating alone at the lunch table that you befriend—you are a rock star.

… to the patient who receives blood that you donate —you are a lifesaver.

… to the boy being bullied that you stand up for—you are a hero.

… to the person you lift from depression just by being her friend—you are an angel.

I remember one awful, premenstrual day when I was sixteen, working in an ice cream store on a quiet Sunday afternoon. I don’t remember WHY it was so terrible, just the hopeless, terrible way I felt. Like nothing was right. Like nothing would ever be right.

A man, maybe thirty years old, probably the only customer all afternoon, came in for ice cream. He must have sensed my inner teenage misery. After I gave him his ice cream and his change, he simply smiled and, with much compassion, said, “It’s going to be okay.”

My eyes blurred. Something within me shifted. I had never seen him before and never saw him again. I honestly thought he was an angel … maybe he was.

The kindness of a stranger.

It is in our everyday interactions with others and our simple acts of kindness that we make a difference.

Here are some suggestions:

• Share a smile
• Say hello
• Listen instead of judging
• Find the positive in a difficult situation
• Choose kindness over popularity
• Donate time, knowledge, labor, or blood

These are only a few. Leave me a comment with more suggestions.

And in this holiday season, remember the child who was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Not in a castle, but in a manger. Not to a wealthy king, but to a carpenter. Not to be insignificant, but to save the world.

May you and your family know the joy and peace of Jesus this Christmas and always.