"Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?" – Zechariah 4:10

 Today's Scripture Reading (August 25, 2020): Zechariah 4

Mother Theresa remarked that "The Lord likes small things best, especially those done with love." The truth is that every venture begins by doing something small. And every action is sustained by doing something small. It doesn't matter what the project might be. The undertaking might be big, but the steps to completion are always small. A day that is filled with small things is a day where significant gains could be achieved.

So, Zechariah emphasizes "the day of small things." His language might seem strange to us, but we understand the message. The "seven eyes of the Lord" is just a nod toward the idea that God sees all of our actions and our inactions. There is no small thing that is too small for God to bother to notice. There are no insignificant actions that are not worth undertaking because all of our small steps end up carrying us miles into the journey.  

Zechariah's reality is that the Temple still laid in ruins. It had likely been almost two decades since the first hesitant steps toward the rebuilding of the Temple had been undertaken. Nothing was being done, mainly because the job seemed to be so big. But Zechariah reminds them that big tasks are completed by paying attention to the small things. The steps needed for the rebuilding of the Temple needed to be broken down into several smaller actions, something that could be completed. And if the nation did the little things, the day would come when the Temple, almost miraculously, would be completed.

And the "seven eyes" of God would rejoice on the day that they got to witness the capstone in the hands of Zerubbabel. On that day, the Temple, which was too big and too hard for the people to complete, would be finished. On that day, they would realize that the day of the small things could accomplish big and impossible projects.

So, don't despise the day of the small things. Mother Theresa is right. God loves it when we do the small things. Because he knows that when small things come together, great things are accomplished. If all that you achieve today is the completion of some small things, know that God is smiling. Small things are important. And when we dare to come together as a community, committed to doing the small things, we really can change the world.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zechariah 5