It's The Little Things

A few weeks ago, FOCUS (high school youth group) watched a video about a woman who was labeled “the ugliest girl in the world.” It was a sad video-there was nothing funny about it. But there was a truth behind it not one of us could deny:

We have all put someone down at some point in our lives. We have all hurt someone. We have all said or done something we later regretted.

We went on to discuss how and why it is so much easier to bring others down than it is to raise them up.  We talked about possible reasons why we say and do the things we do...and then this happened:

Boy: “Hey Jamie, remember a few years ago, when you put sticky notes on the back of our shirts and we all went around and wrote nice things on each others backs?”

Me: “Yes, I remember.”

Boy: “I still have mine. Their stuck on my door…”

Multiple youth: “Yeah! I still have mine too! I look at them all the time. They make me happy.”

This was an activity that was done almost impulsively several years ago when I felt the group needed a pick-me-up. This was an activity I had forgotten about up until this point.. An activity I couldn’t believe these kids would remember.

But they did.

The little things make a difference. They make a big difference. These “little” things might be the only positive affirmation a child receives in a day...or a week…

These “little” things stick.

Kids are put down EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. We live in a culture that puts them down without even needing words.  It’s easy. It really is. And that is sad.

We aren't called to hurt one another. We are called to love one another. We are asked to love our neighbors as ourselves...to pick them up when they fall.

It doesn't take much. Seriously. Sticky notes. A kind word. A smile.

To you, it might be insignificant. To the person who feels broken and beaten and lost…

     It might be the world.

Take the time to think before you speak; not only how you are speaking to others, but how you are speaking ABOUT others.

Take the time to compliment someone. Say thank you. Smile. You can make a difference. It’s all about the little things.

God is good. All the time.