No job is too small. No gift is wasted. In faith we know we all make a difference.
The average person goes about their day doing little things. They don’t think they are making a difference. Perhaps the biggest proof of this is the parent that takes care of their child moment by moment and suddenly they are graduating from school. How were they able to do that? Through the constant care of their parents. Even with that knowledge we often think that what we do isn’t important. Maybe what we are doing lasts a season. Maybe it’s just one action taken on any given day. No matter what, there are times when we feel what we do is just a waste of time. Is it though?
There are many giants in scripture that exemplify to me that it all matters.
The first that comes to mind is Noah. Every day he got up and did what he had to do to build the ark. With the information given, we can guess that it took approximately 50-75 years to build. Doing all this in the middle of the desert to be safe in a flood undoubtedly seemed odd to most. Noah was a man of faith and he trusted God, but I have to imagine that there were days when he even questioned what he was doing. He was a man of faith, but he was human and probably being taunted regularly. That can happen to us all. We question due to the negative Nancy’s and their words that we replay. We don’t necessarily need the people in our community to cause our doubt. We have a committee in our head. After years of faithfully carrying out his responsibility to God and after daily allowing God to work through him, in with him, he saw the fruits of his labor. When we feel overwhelmed with the mundane, it would do us good to remember Noah and how what appeared to be useless and somewhat mundane, was monumentally important.
The next person that comes to mind is David. He was just a shepherd boy. Nothing special. He learned to use a sling shot while shepherding his sheep. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a means of keeping them in line. Then came Goliath and while the King wanted David to put on his armor to fight Goliath, David found that he couldn’t move in it. He couldn’t imitate Saul. He had to be David and do it the seemingly lowly way he was used to. It worked. He took down the giant on his first attempt. How long had David prepared for this moment without even knowing it? How many skills have we learned that end up being of service to others. When you were 16 and learning how to drive a car, did you think of the countless ways God would use your skill to transport people who needed help? Did you think of the times you would have to get in the car so you could reach somebody who was in need? The time spent learning mattered. It always does.
Saint Joseph is another giant. We have to use imagination with Joseph because he was a silent man that took great action. One thing that has always struck me with St. Joseph is that being a carpenter, he must have made a cradle of some sort for Jesus. He had no intention of putting his Son in a feeding trough and yet that is exactly what happened. Then, after the birth of Jesus, he went to Egypt, not back to Nazareth. I imagine that Joseph carefully and lovingly made a great cradle for his Son that was never used as he had intended. We know, however, that nothing is ever wasted with God. So just as the ark seemed unnecessary and just as learning to use a slingshot seemed to be very narrow in scope as to what purpose it could be to the owner, Joseph’s cradle was needed. We don’t know if he kept it or sold it so he could provide in some way for his family. What we do know is that God knows how precious time is. We also know that God gives us skills and talents so He can work through us and with us . Given that, we know the cradle was made for a future purpose and like the arc, it would one day be needed because all we do matters even when we can’t see ahead. How often do we say something was a waste. Joseph shows us that nothing is ever wasted.
St. Paul simply wrote letters. He could not have imagined the importance they would have in the lives of Christians for 2,000 years and counting. Joseph could interpret dreams. A gift his brothers found annoying and unimportant. Being thrown in a well and in jail could not stop him from using his gift and by it he saved countless lives. Abraham plugged away day and night and became a father of one with countless descendants. Mary said yes to having a baby whom she then simply raised to grow in wisdom as she cooked countless meals for Him and taught Him right from wrong.
We could go on and on with individuals we find in scripture that made a difference. Differences that were made by doing the little things they were given day by day. It all mattered for them even if they couldn’t see. It all matters for us even 2000 years later because we are all united as one in Christ. No gift is given to us for no reason. No job is too small. Nothing is wasted. It all matters when we have faith. Faith is key. That dinner you cooked, that email you sent, that car ride you made, that garbage you threw out, that meeting you attended, the homework you helped with…it all mattered because in faith we know we are united as one in Christ and we are the prayer.
Prayerfully reflect on:
Any of the people cited above or any other people you choose from scripture.
Were they much different than you?
Did they make a difference doing anything that we would consider great by today’s standards?
Here are some additional people you might consider reflecting on if you would like to.
John the Baptist. A man who hung out in the desert and later baptized people and Jesus.
St. Elizabeth…John the Baptist’s mother.
Naomi and Ruth. A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Rhoda, a servant who opened the door. (Acts 12:13)
Priscilla and Aquila, friends of St. Paul. (Rom 16:3-4)