The other day a line came to my mind. “With every new coat of paint, the room gets smaller.” It reminded me that as we progress through life, there comes a time when our world starts to get smaller. We can add a new coat of paint, but it gets smaller every time we do.

That can feel very depressing. We lose opportunities. Mountains we once climbed become reminders of what we will never do again. We can try to avoid it. We can work to put it off – and that’s not always bad – but it still comes. The room gets smaller.

This is not always an aging thing. I know young moms who have felt their world get smaller. Their opportunity to touch the sky is hard to do when their knees are on the ground, tying those little shoes again. The world can be pretty small for the middle-manager, who sees the same faces every day at the same times. The same conversations, the same responsibilities, only interrupted by a repeat of the crisis we had 3 weeks ago.

So, what is our hope?

What happens to our purpose in times like this? How do we find meaning in the shrinking, small, and mundane? Don’t fight to go bigger. But go deeper.

Years ago, I set out to take a picture each day that reflected the gift of beauty. One evening, I was looking for a big beautiful picture to take. But then I looked down at my feet. And I found beauty, almost hidden in plain sight.

Below is what I found. This little flower was the size of a quarter. As I focused, the yellow and white became more brilliant. And in the middle of the flower there was a small beetle. Then I saw an even more beautiful detail. This little black bug was outlined in a very fine, almost neon, green line. The green, the black, the yellow, the white. A bug, a flower with life-giving nectar. There was a whole world present in this quarter-sized space. And it was beautiful, orderly, purposeful, fruitful, and life-giving.

A Whole New World at Work.

As we look at our lives, we can look deeper at what is happening in us and around us. There is a whole world at work:
… in every conversation and every life-giving encouragement we give.
… in every gift of time, prayer, and attention we offer someone.
… in every weight we carry for someone.
… every time we whisper “God loves you” to the younger ones around us.

We can go deeper with God too. And when we do, we experience a whole new world in the riches of his love. There is a whole new taste of abundant life available:
… every time we meditate on His Word until we hear his voice.
… every time we win a small victory over sin, or when we lose a desire for something that drew us away from him.
… every time we see the almost imperceptible answers to prayers we’ve been praying.
… every taste of the cheerios that are his gift of daily bread.

We lose nothing by appreciating the small. Instead, it reminds us that wherever we are in our journey, we can enjoy a world of joys, beauties, truths, and meanings.

There are times in life when we’re called to sling stones at giants. But there are also times when it’s time to appreciate the beauty of the stones that lay beside the brook. Both seasons are a gift from God. And both offer us an invitation to worship, love, and glorify the God who redeemed us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalm 37:4-6
Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, Lord , my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

If your life is feeling smaller than it once did, don’t go big. Go deep! Look down! See the details of God’s life for you and bring Him glory in it.

I’d love to read your comments and be sure to share, or give a like, or whatever seems best to you!

Jim.