In our small way.

Stone quarries of Biblical Nazereth, Israel. 2009.

I am left-handed.

And contrary to what most people say and think, I have always been proud of it.

I like being a little different, and there are some very interesting people who are lefties as well (Jerry Seinfeld, Julius Caesar, Benjamin Franklin, H.G. Wells, Kurt Cobain, Joan of Arc, etc).

The other day, while roaming the aisles of Barnes and Noble (a weekly ritual), a book about left-handers caught my eye.

Among other interesting facts, the book noted that lefties are often good with spatial things, like architecture, music, combat, etc. For some reason, the way our brain works, left-handers can see more easily how everything fits together. In other words, we see the big picture.

The spatial fact really intrigued me, because I relate. I am a big-picture person. I dream big, I hope big, and I like the idea of living life to the fullest.

This big picture, abstract way of thinking spreads over into all areas of my life, including spiritual. And although it can be good and useful at times, it can also get me into trouble.

Because thinking big IS abstract most of the time, and the big end goal is not generally what a person experiences on a day-to-day basis.

Because of this, big-thinkers such as myself can be easily discouraged. We can get restless and hard on ourselves, thinking that more needs to be done, wondering why a certain goal hasn't been met, annoyed at all the little, trivial details that it takes to get somewhere "big."

And I think that is part of the problem too. Thoughts can always linger on "getting somewhere," rather than living life in the present.

And we can only experience the grace of God in the here and now.

The past is for learning, the future for hope, but now, NOW is when we experience the voice and the presence and the glory of God.

And to get caught up in the "could bes" and the future stuff and the "big-picture" can rob us of those moments.

I know it has robbed me of a few.

Today I read an Oswald (Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest") that spoke into my thoughts and helped to clarify them.

His basic sentiment was that God is in the everyday, ordinary, small details of life, and to miss Him there is to miss Him altogether.

It goes along with the idea of loving God with all your heart.

Love Him with the way that you run. Love Him when you cook dinner. Honor Him when you talk on the phone. Glorify Him when you write someone a letter. Rest in Him when you're hoping for that big-picture dream.

Because God calls some of us to be "big" by the world's standards. But for most of us, He calls us to serve in the everyday moments, loving the few people He places around us, with not a whole lot of fanfare or thanks.

For most of us, He puts us in places that, to the world today, don't really measure on the scale of importance, success, or grandeur.

But someone who lives their life for God with the details; a person who loves Him with their whole heart in service through those small things He brings their way, they are GREAT in HIS eyes.

Didn't our small-town Rabbi say once in passing that "the least shall be the greatest?"

Yep, He most certainly did. And He lived that life. He grew up in Nazereth, a town so small it had people asking, "can anything good come from there?" He spent His life as a Rabbi, studying the Word and ministering (for the most part) to a small group of young boys, training them up to live like Him, know the text, and love people well.

And He changed the world.

With their help.

And now, it's our turn. It's our turn to grab hold of the small area that God has rooted us in, care for those around us, love the people we meet, and serve in the capacity that God has gifted us.

Here. Now.

In our small way.

Because that is what makes all the difference.