The thought most prominent in my tired brain tonight has to do with a hand-colored sketch of wooden clothespins which sits on a desk in the living room of Nathan’s home in Bacolod. There’s a story behind it. Nathan says that when he studied at the Sunset Bible Institute before launching his ministry in Bacolod, Clyde Payden gave a speech which he gives to every class. Years ago Payden traveled with a team to Italy to initiate a new mission work there. The couples on the team lived close together and had to share what little resources they had. There were, in fact, only enough clothespins for one couple to hang their laundry at a time. Eventually, a fight broke out over the clothespins and whose turn it was to use them. The fight grew into a conflict and the team nearly disbanded. Of course, the fight wasn’t really about clothespins. But the clothespins came to symbolize to Clyde how small things can tear a team apart. The sketch of clothespins on Nathan’s desk reminds him of this story. Commenting on what he’s learned about “clothespin” issues in his years as a missionary in Bacolod, Nathan said tonight, “It’s never really the big things that stop a ministry or cause a missionary to quit. It’s the accumulation of small things over time.”
There is, I think, something profound about that. Both Satan and the Father work from this paradigm. The Evil One can use the small things to drive a wedge between team members or to depress a missionary into quitting. And the Heavenly One can use the small things, like a mustard seed, to bring about something kingdom-sized. It’s rarely the single spectacular thing. It’s more often the tiny and minute things.
How about you? What small thing is the Evil One using to hurt you and those you love? What tiny things is the Father using to make a massive difference in your life and in the lives of those you love?
