Harriet Beecher Stowe, the influential American abolitionist and author, once said, "To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization." It's the little things—how we treat others, how we care for our family, and how we manage our households—that speak the loudest about our values and character.
First Timothy chapter five contains Paul's counsel concerning how members of the church ought to conduct themselves in community with one another. His commands, while broad-sweeping, are practical and to-the-point. Honor your elders. Maintain pure relationships. Care for the needy. Provide for your family. Do not show favoritism. Pretty obvious, right?
In reality, these rare virtues are even more uncommon now than they were in the day of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Society is rapidly filling the bill of godlessness in the last days: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love..." (2 Tim. 3:2-3). It takes little more than a magazine cover or newspaper headline to reveal how vice has taken the place of virtue when it comes to what our culture deems desirable.
Cultivating a God-pleasing life while living in the world is like swimming against an ocean current—it takes intentionality, determination, and discipline. Just as one cannot hope to escape the tide and arrive safely ashore without the act of swimming, neither can we escape corruption and simply "arrive" at godliness without putting God's Word into practice. It is the persistence and accumulation of the swimmer's small strokes that amount to great distance, and it is our persistence and obedience in the little things of life that foster great transformation!
The little thing could be as obvious as taking time regularly to visit an elderly relative, making a meal for a new young mother, or anticipating your husband's needs when he returns home from a long day at work. Maybe God is prompting you to meet some practical need in your church or to reach out to a new member by inviting them to dinner. At first glance the little ways God calls us to serve may seem unglamorous and lack luster, but that doesn't excuse our disobedience.
Scripture says, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." (Ps. 95:8). Listen to those little nudges of the Holy Spirit! Don’t overlook the obvious! Cultivate a watchful eye for those in need around you and meet their need, no matter how small. What may seem an inconsequential deed to us may very well be God's touch for a weary, aching soul in desperate need of the love of Jesus.
Women of Christ, let us be well known for our good deeds! May we be devoted to them so that the world may not have any opportunity for slander against our God (1 Tim. 5:10, 14). For "good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden" (1 Tim. 5:25).
Lord, open our eyes to the little things—the virtues Your Word says should mark our lives as Christians. Help us to be faithful in the practical, obedient in the obvious. May we live our lives intentionally, with determination and discipline, ever-growing in godliness. Guide us by Your Spirit as we put Your words into practice! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reflection Questions
- Read Luke 6:46–49. Why is it important to put the Word into practice?
- 1 Timothy 5:4 says we ought to put our religion into practice by caring for our own families, for this is pleasing to God. Do you struggle to embrace God’s role for you in your family? Why or why not?
- Read John 13:1–17. Jesus’ example for us was to take the humble role of a servant and perform the lowliest task of all: washing the disciples’ feet. Is there any task or service that is beneath us as followers of Christ? Based on this Scripture, how should we prioritize our needs and the needs of others?
- Our key verse states that even if our good deeds are not obvious, they cannot be hidden. In essence, the effects of what we do—seen or unseen—will testify to our works. What are some positive effects of largely unseen deeds like parenting, homemaking, mentoring or caregiving?