Small: A FiveMinuteFriday Post

Small...

     I read a story about an acorn to the girls earlier this week. The story was from a devotional called Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd Jones (author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, which we love!). 

     The story talked about an acorn being...small. Yet, while it is small, God places the capacity for large things within its little shell. Large things like an entire tree! An entire tree, which produces many more acorns, which fall to the ground and produce many more trees. The summary of the story was that "within this tiny acorn lives an entire forest" all meticulously created by an incredibly creative God. 

     The translation is obvious-- within each of us lies an enormous amount of potential, no matter how big or small we may feel. 

     I love this story. I loved sharing it with the girls. I could see a spark in their eyes about how cool it is that an acorn is capable of all of that. I hope they will remember the story the next time we walk through a wooded park and find acorns along our path. 

     Ironically, while I love to share these stories with my small children and hope they will internalize the lessons and live from the truth of them, I find myself often not believing the same things in my life the older or "bigger" I become. 

     Why is it that when we're small we begin to believe we can do big things and then when we become big we doubt our ability to even make small changes or steps in our lives? 

     I've been thinking about this a lot in my writing, my thinking, my spiritual growth, my growth as a mom. I love life, but I think I've allowed myself to fall into a bit of a rut...a rut that comes with an excuse that sounds like this, "I'm tired and have three kids and the house is always a mess...and...did I mention I'm tired?!!" 

     Haha. Do you have that old record playing in your head too?! 

    This week I'm going to think about the acorns that may be lying dormant in my life. Where is there potential for growth? Where can I tap into God's vast resources for increased inspiration, strength, energy and encouragement? 

    What small seed might there be that I can cultivate into a tree to offer growth for years to come? 

   



*This post was written in connection with Five Minute Fridays...To join in the fun of writing for five minutes each Friday or to learn more check out her blog.