Stephanie A. Anderson

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Self Evaluation

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I have been nervous about the New Year because the last three years have been very painful and I’ve encountered some true “rip the bandaid off” and “going cold turkey” kind of pruning and self-discipline. You know, those hard and holy things. So naturally, I was gun-shy about hearing what God wanted me to focus on this year.

He told me in 2020 to “be faithful in the little things.” I went straight to the Bible to answer the question, “where does Jesus talk about being faithful in little things?”

I found Luke 16:10. It says “If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you will be dishonest with greater responsibilities.”

After reading I started to ask and maybe you are asking this question as well, “What is a little thing?”

I mean what qualifies as being a “little thing”? Are the little things really the big things? Are the little things the non-important things? It doesn’t seem to be crystal clear the more I think about it.

“Little things” can be different for everyone. What is a big deal to me and requires all of my attention, may come easy to you. In this case, it would be a little thing for you, and we could be tempted to judge each other based on this thing and how we both relate it it. 

“Little things” can be the big things we overlook when things are fine, or the big things we ignore because someone else isn’t fine with it.

To be honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about it, however here are a few other ways I would describe a “little thing.”

Little things are:

-the things we skip when life gets busy

-the things we take care of first so we don’t have to care at all

-the foundational habits that no one see’s and that don’t seemly effect us until something goes wrong

-the things we are not noticed for, unless we don’t do them

-the things we are not thanked for

-the things we don’t like

-the things that aren’t screaming for our attention because they are good/average/fine

-the spaces in our lives that we aren’t asking for more because we are blessed

-the things we don’t want to make a big deal so we don’t have to face them

-the little things can be so subjective depending on the season of life we are in

To be honest, this verse has caused me to evaluate myself more. Ever wonder how the little things bring out the worst in us? I’m asking the hard and embarrassing questions: 

-How selfish am I?

-How impatient am I?

-Why do I get jealous?

-Why do I get angry?

-Why do I get anxious?

-Where in my life am I undisciplined?

-And finally, how arrogant am I that I would neglect these “little” things? These blessings, these responsibilities, these privileges that God has entrusted to me.

My conclusion has been that I need to nurture these little things so that Christ is glorified and the fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness, is produced over time in my life.

This year my goal is to learn more about what Jesus meant in Luke 16:10.

Now your turn friends! What is your verse or word or theme for 2020? I’d LOVE to hear it!!! Please comment below.