Being faithful in little things

Life has some big important moments and a lot of smaller moments that seem less important. The big moments might include deciding to get married, accepting that job offer, or deciding to move countries. We want to make the right decisions at those key times in our lives. The big things do indeed matter a lot. Getting something like choosing to marry someone wrong or making that decision rashly would be a disaster.

Yet most of life is not about these big decisions. It is a lot of much smaller decisions. How will I respond when someone criticizes me? How will I treat my children when I am tired and grumpy after a long days’ work? How will I spend my free time, scrolling on my phone or doing something else?

I would argue that you can notice someone’s character more in the little things than the big ones. How someone treats those around them when tired or under pressure says a great deal about them.

Do you want to serve Jesus well? It’s not just about deciding to head into ministry or take on some important role in the local church. It is about consistently, faithfully, doing the little things that show you serve Jesus. That would include things like this:

• Being reliable. Are you someone who is always late to appointments? Who makes plans and then cancels them regularly? These are not traits to laugh off as “that’s just who I am – a late person”. No, they are a sign of being unreliable. Christians should be people who do what we say we will do. Even if that’s turning up to the place we arranged with a friend at the right time.
• Keeping promises. Followers of Jesus should have our yes be yes and our no be no. Even the smallest promises matter. When you tell your kids you will play with them after work, you must. If you promise to reply to someone’s invitation and do not, that’s a problem. Christians should cultivate a reputation of being people who do whatever it is we say.
• Being consistent. All of us can look friendly and polite for a couple of hours on a Sunday. The true test of character is how you treat those you share a house with. When you are relaxed, what are you like then?

The criteria for being a leader in the local church is to be a faithful leader in your family. If you can be faithful in small things, you can then be trusted in larger things.

The little things matter. How can you serve Jesus in the little things this week?