A Little Means A Lot

CC BY-NC 3.0 by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
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            I recently had an encounter with some yellowjacket wasps. Or, as I now refer to them, flying razor-butt venom sacks with attitudes. Clearly, none of us enjoyed the experience. Said beasties were just defending themselves (I was a perceived threat as I weeded the garden) by injecting me with a tiny amount of venom.

            I do mean tiny. As little as 2 micrograms per sting. And although my weight is only a numeric assessment of my relationship with gravity, it is not measured in micrograms. The venom was a tiny amount relative to my body mass.

            What was not tiny was how my body reacted. Summary: not well. Turns out I'm quite allergic to stings. The tiny amount of venom induced all manner of symptoms, all over my body, lasting many days, and took multiple medical appointments and medications to counter the effects.

            A tiny amount made a huge difference.

            In the case of the stings, it was a negative impact - and it is easy to see the progression of the negativity.

            What I have also had the privilege of seeing is the outpouring of positivity - a little means a lot. Friends have driven me around (I'm smart enough not to drive while on antihistamines), picked up prescriptions, walked my dogs even! Multiple emails and phone calls from parishioners expressed concern, assured prayers, and offered help. 

            It's these 'little things' that have meant the most to me, for which I am profoundly grateful. Every extension of care means a lot: it's a positive outpouring of the very best of concern and care.

            And that is what we are called, as Christians, to do.

            We are called to share the love of God. That may look differently to different people: a compliment, a ride somewhere, helping a neighbour to carry out the garbage. In whatever we are doing, we can choose to either inject a bit of negativity, or a dose of positivity, into someone else's day. And we can trust that whatever that person receives could have a significant impact on their day, their relationships, their faith.

            We are privileged, as people of faith, to demonstrate and share that we live in hope, and in charity, and in love. We can exude the confidence in Christ that someone(s) have long shared with us. When we remember that a little goes a long way, and we can orient ourselves toward spreading that love of God, even in a little way.

            The choice is ours: I hope that we go out into the world this week and find ways to spread a little love and kindness. There is always someone out there who can benefit from such God-given gifts; let's be the ones who highlight it.