Devotional by Karen Rees
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2
Hello, skunk.
One Sunday afternoon while we were on summer holiday from primary school, my brothers and I went for a walk on our farm. We met a skunk. When this small animal feels threatened, it aims its rear end at the “enemy”, lifts its furry tail, and shoots out a stinking oily spray. The skunk decided we were the “enemy”.
When we arrived home in a cloud of “skunk stink”, our parents scrubbed us from head to toe. That night we sat on the very back row in church still smelling of “skunk”. We were there because my parents believed in attending church faithfully. Their decision to take us to church was just one of many small decisions they made as I was growing up.
My parents also believed in being honest, in tithing, in being hospitable and hardworking, in speaking kindly. They believed in turning the other cheek, standing up for what’s right, and doing what God wanted regardless of the cost.
I know these things about them because I saw their small decisions.
Laying the Foundation
Life is filled with small decisions, and these decisions matter. They make us who we are. They show others what we truly believe about God.
Our small decisions also are important because they lay the foundation for making our big decisions. They strengthen us to face the trials in our lives. If we honor God in our small decisions, we’ll be more likely to follow him in the big ones. If we’re careless in the small decisions, we’ll fail in the big ones.
How we use our tongues matter. What we devote our time to matters. Whether we’re trustworthy matters. How we handle our finances matters. What we post on Facebook matters. Whether we’re thankful or we complain matters. How we respond to unfair criticism matters. Whether we act from love or from pride matters.
Eternal Consequences
The importance of small decisions is clearly shown in the description of the final judgment found in Matt. 25:31-46. The righteous are rewarded with eternal life while the unrighteous are sent away to eternal punishment. The King gave rewards or punishment based on the small decisions those people made. Small decisions can have eternal consequences.
So, if you ever meet a skunk on Sunday, run. If you aren’t fast enough, sit at the very back of the church. Other people may not like the odor. God will think you smell just fine because you made the right small decision.
Thank you for your devotional Karen. It’s so easy to underestimate the importance of our small decisions and how accumulative they are. This is such an important reminder.
Thank you, Karen. A great reminder about how important “small” decisions are.
This was a great complimentary post for me after my pastor’s message yesterday. His point (among many) was, “If money gets tight and the first thing you cut in your budget is what you give to God, that speaks volumes about what you think of God.” And little eyes are watching all those ‘small’ decisions I make. Thank you for the encouragement.
Thanks for sharing, Karen. Being faithful in the small decisions is just as important as being faithful in the big. Great reminder, thank you.