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Do Little Acts of Big Influence

Little acts of service can go farther than you think. -christyfitzwater.com

I came to Pinterest to share only and not to look. I don’t see any point in looking at crafts I will never make, although, in an uncharacteristic wave of creativity, my husband and I did re-invent our Christmas tree this year by looking at Pinterest pictures.

When did you decide to go with a professional-looking tree? my friend said.

Pinterest success.

Mostly I love Pinterest because it feels like throwing frisbees of goodness to people. That sounds stupid.

But I picture myself finding truth and valuable content on the internet and tossing it out to people via my Pinterest page.

Here, you could use this parenting advice. 

Here, you’re going to love this article on marriage. 

Here, this will encourage you to walk with God.

Something intriguing has happened from my Pinterest page that I can’t stop thinking about. One day I pinned an article by Jessica Smartt, at thebettermom.com: Ten Meaningful Service Projects for Little Ones.

I thought it was a good article, but I didn’t know over 500 people would re-pin  it from my Pinterest page over the next year.

I got to thinking. What if, say, a third of those moms who liked that post actually take the time to do one of the service projects with their children? That could be over 200 kids doing service projects. That’s a lot of moms and kids doing a lot of good.

What if some of those projects inspire kids to serve the Lord when they’re not little anymore?

What if somebody comes to know Jesus because a little kid shows that he cares?

And what if sharing that blog post is one of the most meaningful, world-changing actions I have ever taken in my life?

Every little decision we make, even purposefully choosing what we share on social media, can impact a lot of lives for the kingdom of God, in ways we’ll probably never even see.

Take my mom, for example. She’s a quiet librarian in an out-of-the-way town in Wyoming, but she is in a position to suggest Christian books for the public library to buy for the adult reading section.

And what if women come into the library because they want a book to read in bed, and they stumble across Jesus in the storyline?

What if my mom is one of the greatest evangelists ever, in a Wyoming bookshelf kind of way?

I know you.

You think that because you don’t have a fancy title, like preacher or teacher or missionary, that you can’t do so much in the world.

But you can.

You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.  (Matthew 5:14 HCSB)

Maybe you put in a kids’ worship CD while you’re doing errands around town, and you and your preschooler are singing about Jesus all the way from Target to Safeway.

Maybe you’ve decorated your office cubicle in a way that shares the hope and joy of Jesus, and the way you live matches the plaque you’ve got hanging by your computer.

Or maybe you speak kindly about your co-worker when everyone else is slamming her.

Every action you take –and maybe especially the smallest of actions –can light up the world.

6 Comments

  1. Cheryl Cassin says:

    Flinging blessings back at YOU, Christy. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts…..and for sowing those seeds….

    1. I love that -I’ll take those “flung blessings”, thank you ever so much. 🙂

  2. I really LOVE these words. Such a good reminder for me. I sometimes (often?) get tired from almost thirty years of raising eight children and think that I can’t serve or teach effectively for Christ like when I was younger. But I should remember that it is the little things in my life or my children’s lives that count too. We can be lights for Him in the middle of our busy schedules as long as our hearts and minds are focused on Him. The peace and joy inside that comes from Jesus will keep that outward “light” burning. 🙂 Thank you, Christy!

    1. Our effectiveness is always changing. What a glorious thing to have loved eight children and poured into their lives. Imagine the effect they will have as they love Jesus in the world. I imagine now you are a huge fountain of wisdom. I hope you’re finding a place to share that!!!

  3. I LOVE this! It’s Random Acts of Kindness for Christ. We never know how even the smallest effort on our part travels from person to person. We live in a “Go big or go home” society”, so we come to believe that our seemingly small efforts aren’t significant enough to make a difference. Instead, I believe that it is exactly those little things that have the greatest capacity to spread to others. A smile, an encouraging word, the decision to NOT spread gossip…these are the things that show God’s light to the world.

    1. What a great point! Our society really does celebrate only the hugest of accomplishments, which is ridiculous. But a lot of little acts pile up and pile up into greatness. Thanks for getting me thinking about that.

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