It has been pointedly observed that men can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed. We have no idea what lasting significance or eternal consequence may come from the seeming insignificance of a kind word we speak or some simple kindness we perform. Until God shines the light of eternity back over our lives, none of us will truly know how much our lives counted for Christ.

In light of this, we must ever remember the biblical admonition to “despise not the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10). Who knows what eternal weight a kind word or deed may carry? Often, we are guilty of overlooking the simple things of life for the more spectacular, believing that God is found in the latter and never in the former. The Bible, however, teaches us otherwise. For instance, the Disciples of Christ were directed to Galilee—the common place—not to Jerusalem—the celebrated place—to encounter the risen Savior.

Contrary to popular opinion, God is most often found in the common occurrences of everyday life. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning put it: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

Do you stroll barefoot through your everyday life in search of holy ground or are you one of this world’s voluminous blackberry pickers? Are you sensitive to the moment by moment promptings of the still, small voice of the Spirit or are you waiting to be commanded by a thunderous, audible voice accompanied by a ball of fire and angel choir? Do you believe God is only found in mega-churches and Billy Graham Crusades or do you believe He is just as likely to be encountered in your little church’s midweek prayer service?

It was with nothing more than a little lad’s sack lunch that Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand. The lad’s loafs and fishes in our Lord’s hands proved to be more than enough for the hungry multitude. Remember, there were twelve baskets full of leftovers. Likewise, your little, once blessed by the Lord and put in His hands, can prove to be the miracle-making means of our Savior’s supernatural intervention in the lives of other people.

No wonder the Bible admonishes us to be faithful in small things. It is with our little in His hands and our faithfulness in small things that God does His biggest works. Also, it is our faithfulness in a few small things that Christ promises to reward in big and many ways (Matthew 25:23; Mark 9:41).