Think Small
We think our work has to be so big to make a difference when all along the Lord is asking us to think small. His thoughts are so much higher than ours, and He is the One who will do great and wondrous things as we steward the small, one step of faith at a time. His command in Matthew 28:19-20 is to go and make disciples of all nations. This command seems so massive that we sometimes get bogged down in the immensity of the task. But we are each given one life, one segment of time and history to be part of this Great Commission. And how we do it may just be by thinking small. This is what my friend and colleague Jami Staples is learning, and is helping me learn, as we serve together at The Truth Collective. Today we have the privilege of sitting criss-cross applesauce with Jami, leaning in close to hear what’s on her heart. Grab your favorite cuppa and learn with me.
guest post by Jami Staples
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
Zechariah 4:10
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
Jesus, in John 17:9, praying for those God gave Him to teach.
I’m not much of a beach gal. I don’t like sand, I don’t like the salty sea air, and the power of the tide terrifies me. I suppose it’s rather bizarre, then, how much I love looking at the ocean. I love to stand on a rocky bluff and let my eyes trace the horizon and recognize myself as the speck that I am compared to the vastness of the sea. It immediately leads me to remember the power of God is mightier than the ocean tide and I feel safe.
It feels something like that when I look at the reality of how many people in our world have no access to God’s Truth. And lately, the magnitude of the global task before us at The Truth Collective started to feel like our little raft was taking on water. Instead of feeling in awe of God’s power, I felt overwhelmed and frustrated.
It’s too much!
I would cry out, thinking of the 2.2 billion Muslims with no knowledge of Christ.
This ministry is just a tiny buoy floating on the surface. How can we possibly move the ocean with a collection of teacups?
I’ve stood on this shore many times in my life. Self-doubt is a constant companion and failure an ever-present cloud.
In the context of quarantine, social-distancing, and a global pandemic, with very few life distractions, my own introspective thoughts and the corresponding emotions would certainly topple me if I had no history to guide me.
Faith is being sure of things hoped for and certain of things unseen.
The Lord reminds me.
What has anchored you in the past, Jami, will tether you to My Truth in this storm as well.
His rescue mission always comes through His Word, the Bible, but oftentimes I need a friendly foghorn to remind me where to look.
So last week I called one of the Elders from my church and we sat outside a coffee shop, socially- distanced, on a metal bench. I told him how the pandemic made me feel like the little sand-castle ministry we had built was slowly being washed away with each foamy wave. I told him the Church’s distraction of fear feels like such a setback; we don’t have time for detours. There’s too much to do!
“Jami,” he said thoughtfully, “Jesus was sent to earth to redeem humanity mankind. But remember, His salvation was actually for the entire cosmos! Not just people, not just earth, but the entire cosmos was waiting for His redemption.”
I felt embarrassed as I compared my task to that of being the Savior of the World. Tears welling up, I could feel my friend looking at me while I stared at my toes.
“Did you know,” he paused, “Jesus never traveled more than 70 miles from Jerusalem?”
The ocean now sprang from my eyes as the sound of Self-Doubt and Failure, clamoring to retain for their foothold, rang in my ears.
The God of the universe conquered the world by emptying Himself of all He was entitled to and limiting His ministry strategy to 70 miles and 12 fishermen.
How in the world had I ever concluded the rescue mission of the Muslim world was solely my responsibility? Had I become convinced that a “gone-viral” marketing scheme was more effective than the Holy Spirit working through one life-to-life encounter at a time?
For the next few days, I remained in a posture of repentance for the pride which had slipped undetected into my Vision Statement. I wept with relief as the Lord began to decipher for me the unprecedented wisdom of “thinking small” and the limitless impact He Himself would design with my mustard seeds and my teacups.
It is not my obligation to reach the entire world. It is my honor to steward the part of the world He gives me. #vision #faithfulness #discipleship Share on XAnd the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
2 Timothy 2:2
Lord, help me steward the small you have given me, one giant step of faith at a time. Amen.
Jami Staples is a globe-trotter with a passion for people. She, her husband Brian, and their two boys have traveled to more than 23 countries, but it was when they lived in Kenya, East Africa that God opened their hearts and minds to the Muslim world. In 2015, Jami joined the staff of Crescent Project as the Director of Women’s Training and built a training platform for thousands of Christian women who were eager to share the Gospel with Muslims. While stewarding that ministry, however, Jami discovered a large segment of the Western Church still resists the idea of sharing Christ with Muslims. With renewed vision and blessing from her team, Jami founded The Truth Collective as a means to call more Believers into a Biblical response toward the Muslim world.
Jami’s favorite past time is engaging with the international community in her home town in South Carolina. Food is her love language. Her husband is her hero. Her boys are her fuel.
To learn more, visit thetruthcollective.org. Join us for our next virtual tea party and chat with women around the world about true justice for women looks like by signing up here. Or if you are in the Charlotte, NC, area, come meet Jami in person at The Truth Collective’s premier gallery event, the unGallery, on October 10-11, 2020. To learn more, visit: unCover the Lies Believe What is True.
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