As I began this series of articles, I was laboring under the burden of what should have been a blessing. Last year, as I approached my sixtieth birthday, I began having those soul-searching moments. Where had the time gone? What do I want to accomplish in the next few years? And a more sobering inquiry, How much time do I have left?
Wandering through this morass of thoughts, I began to wish for one thing — a clear vision of the opportunities around me. Surely, by knowing what was out there, I could arrive at a plan and enjoy a productive season.
Frighteningly, I was granted my wish. One by one, openings for learning, service, and relationship were being unmasked all around me. And I sat, bewildered and overwhelmed. It was during that time that, as an answer to my unfocused prayers for help, a new strategy emerged. In the face of some pretty big opportunities, I decided to narrow my attention to the small things.
Yet, even with that strategy, I realized that I would need help in dealing with the smallest of things. I needed discernment in choosing the small things to be done. I also needed protection from the thorns and the sharp edges that small things wield against their handlers.
So, I invited a higher power to the party. At first, my prayers were long and filled with detailed accounts of my challenges and the things on my to-do list. My prayer life became bewildering and overwhelming as a result.
In one of those marathon sessions, I paused, took a long breath, and slowly released it. At that instant, I felt at peace. Subconsciously, I petitioned for God’s presence and intervention for the moment. Nothing more. I just asked Him to show up.
It was then that I recognized what peacemakers have known from the beginning of time. God — your Higher Power — is right beside you and He is enough.
Grand visions and intricate plans have their place. But I’m convinced that God chooses to work through even the smallest of us as we achieve the smallest of things, create small spaces for people to come together, and constantly breathe the small prayers of peace. There is an abundance in the smallest of things.
Whatever is before you, breathe a small prayer.