Do not despise
these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin . . .
Zechariah
4:10a
A fond memory from my recent mission trip to El Salvador
was a small event, taking no more than 30 seconds, but one that made a big
impact on me.
Liz, our translator, had supplies to make piñatas, an
activity we could do with the women and older children after teaching the day’s
hygiene lessons. It took two days to make the piñatas. On the second day, we
strung some cord between two trees for hanging the piñatas to make it easier to
decorate them. One of the women on our mission team was pulling the cord from
one tree to the other. She tripped on a large rock, just a small trip, an
incident that didn’t draw any attention.
Debora, the same girl who had given us her bracelets the
previous day, saw it happen. With no fanfare, I saw her move the rock, along
with another large rock, to the base of a nearby tree.
It was a small gesture that touched my heart and told me
volumes about this young girl. Her attentiveness and action were a lesson to me.
She simply saw a need and acted. She paid attention closely enough to notice
the trip, and responded from a heart of compassion. I think I am the only
person who even saw Debora’s action.
How many such opportunities do I miss because I get distracted
by other things going on or worse yet, by my own thoughts? I wonder how often I
am so preoccupied with myself that I don’t see a simple way to make things
better for others. The pace at which we move can blind us to small acts of love
and thoughtfulness toward others. When my head is down, looking at the screen
of my phone, I miss the chance to show love to one of my brothers or sisters.
1 John 3:18 says: Little
children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. Debora
loved with action. He act of noticing and moving the rocks and her generosity
in sharing her bracelets with us was love that needed no words. These were
simple but powerful acts of love that challenge me to follow her example. If I
am to love with action I must be intentional about paying attention to the
rocks in another’s path.
Deborah was like an angel watching over us! She certainly watched over me. Lord, give me the gift of attentiveness.
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