12/05/2022 – Chapter 13 discussion: “Little Things”
A husband and wife, working as a synergistic team, through an ongoing learning process that involves playing off each others natural gifts, so that the “whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” Peter Kreeft notes, “little things” is where men need to learn from women in general. So, in the first page, we can conclude: “doing big things with little love is only little, but doing little things with big love is big. Doing is not a thing.”
I personally had a practical lesson yesterday, starting with an event that triggered a flippant negative attitude, yet ended in the revelation of doing little things with big love. Early Sunday morning, we had six young stray pups walk up our driveway. What was my negative attitude?: It was the 2nd time in six months we have been confronted with this situation. It was 3 to 4 days before the county was able to pick them up. So the question: Who are these people that drop off young pups like this? The animal control officer noted it is happening more and more. By God’s grace, we were laughing at these pups going through the little things like the feeding. There was only one momentary sibling conflict; what loving and supportive siblings they are!
Another example of this: A Christian brother and I found out accidentally that both of us periodically pick up beer bottles that have been thrown off to the side of the road in our country road neighborhoods, a routine in the midst of our daily walks. You know what? Over the past year, I have noted that the rate they are thrown out has decreased considerably. And it accumulates faster as beer bottles start to collect. Or stated differently, when I start neglecting my “boring” routine.
I have a premise related to this as to why so many men fail at consistently engaging over the long haul in warrior response to an evil world. The common question: How then shall we live! Answer: We start with prayer and bible study. To which the reply is: “Is that all?” So now we have an additional problem beyond the expectation that it falls short of the need: an immediate impactful “home run”, game over! And that problem, it is perceived as a “little thing”, not as a “sine qua non” pathway to the impregnable army against evil. It happens only by God’s grace, He only asks us to participate, to get in the game.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy