During our first year of marriage, James and I lived in a beautiful apartment in sunny Florida. We were still in college and enjoyed laying out at the pool in the middle of what us northerners call winter.
I was excited to be married and just as excited to have our own place together. I took pride in making our first place a home so I spent a lot of time cleaning and taking care of it.
While cleaning, I would find small piles of wrappers, coins, guitar picks, and pocket lint from James cleaning out his pants. I wouldn’t take the time to pick through it so I would scoop everything off our dresser and right into the trash- guitar picks and all!
Eventually, James starting asking me where all his guitar picks were going. I told him I would throw away the entire pile from his pockets into the trash. He could not believe I was doing that and asked me to not throw them away- rightfully so! I just wanted a tidy home 😉
A few more weeks went by and James asked me where I was putting all his loose change. I asked him what he meant by that because I didn’t recall any change. He mentioned them being in his pile from his pockets. Ah! Yes, coins were with his pile of trash. I told him that I was throwing it away but I had stopped throwing the guitar picks away. James was shocked. He couldn’t understand why I was throwing away money. “They’re just pennies” is what I would say.
One day I was cleaning our bedroom and James had cleaned out his pockets and set a pile on the dresser. I picked out the guitar picks and set them in the small console, I scooped all the wrappers, pocket lint, and pennies into my hand and walked towards the trash. (side note: James doesn’t do this anymore. He is very tidy now haha)
As I opened my hand to toss everything into the trash, I looked down and saw the five pennies. Immediately, I heard the Lord whisper to my heart, “If you can’t see the value in these five pennies then I will never give you more than what you have in your hand.” I knew at that moment that I couldn’t throw them away and that I needed to see the value and worth of everything, no matter how small.
Luke 16:10 says, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.”
This verse in Luke is part of a larger story Jesus told about money and being honest. While there are many lessons to pull from that story- this one part speaks volumes. If I can’t see the value in a penny then why would God entrust me with more? While one penny’s worth is often overlooked, it’s one piece of an important puzzle; you can’t have a hundred dollar bill without a penny.
During seasons of small blessings, God will use these moments to grow your wisdom and stretch your faith. This is where you can learn how to be a good steward of everything He gives you- no matter the size or value.
Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
No matter if you’re just starting out with pennies or already have hundred dollar bills- show God that you can be trusted. When you show God that you are someone to trust- He will allow you to be trusted with more than pennies.
I share this story with you to encourage you to open your eyes to the small. To see how God is blessing you regularly and you’re possibly missing it because you don’t see it’s value. I want to gently remind you, that while these small blessings might not be “worth much,” take care of them and show God you are trustworthy.
This is a great reminder. Over the years, I have developed a habit of picking up every penny I find on the ground. I wish I had gone further, though, and put them in a jar and then put them in an account as the amount grew. I think it would be faith-building to see what God would do with those small things.
That’s a great idea!
Life is so full of small blessings, and those small blessings really add up. Great post, Heather!
Thank you!
Heather this is such a great lesson! We are to seek out all the blessings that are around us and be grateful. If we wait for “more” to show thanks there won’t be more and we won’t have contentment.
You’re so right! There will never be more if we’re always looking for more!
So true that God wants us to see the value in small things. I can hardly believe you were throwing away pennies. Thanks for being so honest. LOL.
HAHA Looking back now, I can’t believe I was throwing them away either!
Love this! We don’t think the small matters much but to God it matters so much!
I think of managing the things in my home, if I can’t do that then why should God give me more beyond that.
That’s an excellent point, Julie. It got me to thinking of how to care for my home better. Thank you for that.
I love this! I have recently learned this very same lesson with blogging. It doesn’t seem like a “big thing,” but I know it’s what God has entrusted to me right now!
Emily,
I know exactly what you mean. When I started out blogging it seemed small but I knew I needed to treat it with the same care as if it were HUGE. As my blog has grown and opportunities have come my way, I can say that I have fully appreciated everything.
This really spoke to me! Thank you. I love to try to find value in everything, but there are so many things that I overlook and that I do deem invaluable, this was a great reminder.
-Elizebeth
Beautyofselah.com
Hi Elizebeth,
We all overlook so many things, it’s taking the time to retrain our eyes and hearts to see it that’s key!
This is so wonderful! And man that verse in Zechariah!! Good stuff! I think sometimes it is so easy to think the small things are not worth much. But all good things come from the Father and we need to take stock of each of them. Thank you for this much-needed reminder!
I would love to have you link up this post with us at #LiveLifeWell!
Blessings,
Amy
Hello Amy,
Thank you. You’re so right, all good things come from the father- no matter the size!
I would love for you to share this post =) Please let me know what I would need to do to help with that!
Very convicting! We must not despise little things if we want the Lord to trust us with big things. This drives a lot of my day, being faithful to what God has called me to do.
Thank you for sharing. Being faithful in what God has called us to do on a daily basis is what helps me stay on top of things!
Great reminder! Not just to value the little things, but also to sort through them!
Great read! Just a small correction your verse is actually out of Zech 4:10. 💕
Thank you for correcting that!! It’s now fixed 🙂