Small and Simple Things

"Is our journey sometimes impeded when we forget the importance of small things? Do we realize that small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the direction of great ships?"



The past few days have really had me down but life took a swing for the awesome today. As I was passing a random church on the side of the road today I noticed a little sign that said something to the effect of "when God wants to bring great things to pass he doesn't do it in great ways." It brought the phrase "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

Elder M. Russel Ballard said it perfectly in the quote with which I started this post. I think I have been forsaking the small things in my life, the small choices and happenings. I've been waiting for this big event that would suddenly make everything go away and get better. When all along I should have been reveling in the little things, the little blessings. Things I wouldn't otherwise think too much about. In life, I think we, as humans, tend to forget the importance of the small joys in life. We spend our money to watch movies, read books, or see plays in order to see these big dramatic scenes from (mostly) fictional and impossible lives. How easy is it for us to look at those things and want that excitement and adventure? I know I escape this world I live frequently for the world of make-believe.

Life is kind of like a needle point creation. When you first start out on it all you can see are random strands of string that make very little sense. But once it's finished, every single string has a purpose and a reason for existence. Without some of them the picture wouldn't be the same. The same can be said about life; our path is dictated by the flippant choices (and difficult decisions) that we make every day. It makes sense when they say in the Harry Potter books that it's nearly impossible to see the future because it's so easily altered by the small choices.

So I'm going to leave it at that. Short and simple.