Linking up again with Five Minute Friday at the lovely Lisa-Jo Baker‘s.The rules: write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.Hop over to her place to find out the full scoop behind FMF, and to visit other posts that were freely written in just five minutes.
This weeks prompt: SMALL
GO:
The small things, they are the ones taking over my house, my heart, my life. Legos, grapes, crackers, cups of milk, bath toys. Little projects for work that add up to a large whole. Worries and goals and annoyances, all small but large feeling when confined to my brain. The feeling of small is building, too. Rather, the feeling of being too small is building in me. Too small to impact, to succeed, to even begin. And so often I don’t. I shrink into myself, giving into the smallness I think I’m limited to be. Limiting myself out of fear and awe and not taking chances or really reaching at all.
It’s disappointing to live like that, if even for a day or an hour or the span of a choice. I don’t want to live small. He didn’t come for me to live small. But how do you live full when you’re not seeking attention, or to name drop, or to further yourself?
You turn it on it’s head, looking for the smallness in others and building them up in that very area. Seeking to make others full, to promote others, to give attention to the least of these. You choose to see the joy in the small and nearly-missed: a husbands handholding, a favorite song lyric, a single leaf turned to scarlet in August.
As a tiny hand reaches for mine, and we walk together, I forget the rest and only remember the fullness of grace, in which there is no such thing as small.
STOP
-anna
{girl with blog}
This is beautiful, Anna. I’ve been searching out the beauty in the small things lately, too.
“He didn’t come for me to live small.” Wowza…good words to live by. Embracing life…all of it…as a gift and a blessing from Him, that’s what we should do, how we should live each moment. Beautiful post today, friend. I love it. Blessings and happy Friday! 🙂
Okay… your turn!! You bless my socks off with this… that last paragraph about turning it around… Love it!
Love it, Anna! Breathtaking, uplifting, beautiful. So excited for incouragers to start so we can lift up each other’s smallness and celebrate together 🙂
Your words “Too small to impact, to succeed, to even begin” totally snagged my heart. Oh why can’t I see how much bigger our God is and rely on that??? Beautiful girl — thanks.
He didn’t come for me to live small…..that says everything. I’m going to write that on my bathroom mirror so that I see it when I wake up in 4 hours..lol.
Seriously though that is the point. Great post and hugs!
Anna, I am fighting tears right now. You have said what’s on my heart like others tonight. Thank you for this honest glimpse into your mind and soul. So glad we found one another tonight!
Oh this, just what I need to hear. I love his community He is building around me. So fun to share life with you!
Your so beautifully expressed the feeling of smallness that has been suffocating my heart lately. Thank you for so honestly sharing. To break the lie we have all been told that we are the only one.
This is my personal manifesto, one I try to remember when I feel insignificant or unappreciated or, really, anything.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”
Love you, dear friend.
This right here: “I forget the rest and only remember the fullness of grace, in which there is no such thing as small.”
Every day, I remember this, His graces.
Yes, I feel small sometimes but then I remember less of me = more of Him and in my weakness He is made strong. 🙂
“You turn it on it’s head, looking for the smallness in others and building them up in that very area.”
Truly beautiful, my friend! There aren’t many things that make life more full than building up others. Thanks for the reminder, and for the comment this week! Your seemingly small gesture definitely helped to build me up! Blessings!
“I shrink into myself, giving into the smallness I think I’m limited to be.”…hate those moments when satan gets us to believe his lies…but so thankful for our awesome God who reminds us that “He didn’t come for us to live small.” Thank YOU for that reminder today!!
Girl! Love it. Thank you for taking that five minutes! 🙂
ohh this is fantastic.so many things resonated but the one that keeps ringing in my head ‘He didn’t come for us to be small’…oh my yes, and how often we keep ourselves in this place, when we could be being used of Him idespite our perceived smallness. Thank you for the reminder. visiting from FMF
“Too small to impact, to succeed, to even begin.” Yes. Absolutely. I fight with myself and those negative voices all the time. Great post!
Beautiful, honest post. I enjoyed your words and your wisdom! It helped remind me that there is no smallness in the will of God.
This “Worries and goals and annoyances, all small but large feeling when confined to my brain”.is me too. I’ve started journaling daily to help get it out of my head so it doesn’t take up so much space and it helps a ton! Thank you for your words today!
Oh my — ‘…grace, in which there is no such thing as small… ‘ Such true and gorgeous words!
Well said, Anna! I think the small things are the key entry point for a spirituality of busy people. I just had a young dad tell me that holding his 3-month-old daughter is his new method of prayer.