There is great force and tremendous power behind small and ordinary things. A cup of water can mean life or death to a thirsty person. A grain of salt can make the great difference between an insipid dish and a tasty one. A mustard seed carries within it the potential of a luxuriant and fruitful shady tree. And when Christ proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he called not the rich and powerful. They probably would not have listened, believing they knew better that this lowly son of a carpenter. Instead, he called small and ordinary fishermen, the poor and lowly. And they left everything they had, which was not much to begin with, and followed him.
It would seem that those who heeded the call and followed Jesus did not have much to lose in the first place by doing so. The rich and the powerful would have been risking a lot if they did. Specially when Jesus challenged them to sell everything that they had and give it to the poor. We can be encumbered by what we possess and fail to hear the call. We may even be blinded by who we are refuse to heed the invitation.
With the small and the ordinary, I am down to the bare essentials. In this bareness, can I still see beauty, truth and goodness? Or do I need bells and whistles, tinsels and laces before I acknowledge that which is beautiful, good and true? Deep inside me, I know the truth. I only need to look at myself to see goodness. And there is great beauty in my everyday life.
We may not change the world in one day
But we still can change some things today
In our small way
‘Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.’
Mark 9:41-50