He that is faithful in that which is least
is faithful also in much.
Luke 16:10
****
So many times you have heard it said, "Details, details.... pay attention to the details!!!"If you were -paying attention, you would have noticed I was speaking to myself as well as the negligent one. Minding the smallest of the smallest details doesn't come naturally for me any more than it came naturally to any one of my Kids when they were small. Probably, every mother has to teach her children to pay close attention to details for it goes against inclination to exercise the mind and body with patience to attend with diligence to all the particulars of every aspect of life. We just "don't have time!" one hears the cry that goes up time and again... "Later. I'll take care of it later. . ."
Have you ever noticed that "Later" never seems to arrive?
Here's why faithful diligence in the minutia is so important:
By unfaithfulness in even the smallest duties,
man robs his Maker of the service
which is His due.
This unfaithfulness reacts upon himself. . . . . .
Because he is not guided by right principles in little things,
he fails to obey God in the great matters which he regards as his special work.
The defects cherished in dealing with life’s minor details
pass into more important affairs.
He acts on the principles to which he has accustomed himself.
Thus actions repeated form habits,
habits form character,
and by the character our destiny for time and for eternity is decided.
Only
by faithfulness in the little things
can the soul be trained to act with fidelity under larger responsibilities.
{COL 356.2}
Indeed, WHY? Because simply, this is the character of God and it is the secret to success. We want to truly know Jesus, we want to be like Him, we want our characters to be formed after His character and so,
We must follow His example of faithful, conscientious attention
to the little things.
This is the secret of success in every line of Christian effort and influence.
{COL 358.
This will show in our handwriting, in how we do the dishes and leave the kitchen, in the way we keep our purse and car and laundry, how carefully we wash the vegetables from the garden, how promptly we send a thank you note for a kindness given us, in the way we plan our meals for health and nutrition, how we take notes so we don't forget, how we put things back, in how we remember what makes other people comfortable and happy. In short, in EVERYTHING we do will show just how close we value the example Christ has set for us.
When I was a girl I was sent to go help at the health food store because there was more work than one man could handle on his own and they were short on adults. I was probably 12. I remember scrubbing dusty brown shelves. I was getting weary of the job. The shelves seemed to stretch on endlessly.... and
I had to remove the boxes and bags and cans of grocery items before washing each section, then organize everything back into it's proper place and it was taking days. Finally in utter fatigue and boredom I looked at the tall man running the till and asked, " Since NOBODY ever sees the back of these shelves, why can't I just scrub the front of them?"
His face stretched into a huge grin as he responded, "The customers may never see the back of the shelves, but the angels do see, and they watch how you do your work."
I had no comeback for that and did a lot of thinking on those long, long rows of shelves as I scrubbed all the way to the back.
I therefore beseech to you WORK worthy of the calling....
