Chosen by God- Taking Littleness Lightly

An Introduction to a New Year's Devotional Plan

This new year, I'm starting a new Bible reading. I had been contemplating a new devotional series or bible reading plan, and reading my "Our Daily Bread" reflection confirmed it for me. The author there warns:

"Sometimes I think in our devotional reading we treat God’s Word like an express buffet. We wolf it down as fast as we can and wonder why we haven’t learned very much. Like physical food, spiritual food needs chewing! For those of us who have been Christians for a long time, we may have a tendency to speed-read through the passages we’ve read many times before. But in doing so, we miss what God is meaning to show us." (odb.org)

While I have enjoyed reading through the Bible for many consecutive years, I believe it is time for me this year to chew, to "meditate on His precepts, and contemplate His ways,” just like David (Psalm 119:15). So this year I will be using an Upper Room lectionary given to Brad by his father over 10 years ago. It's title "A Guide to Prayer for All God's People" and follows several themes, includes prayers and reflections. With a little reflection each day, I'll chew each thoroughly, memorize, meditate and contemplate His ways in a new way in this new year. The first theme is "Chosen by God".

Taking Littleness Lightly: The Struggles of a New Year

Many people enjoy the New Year's Celebration. They set off fireworks, stand freezing in Time's Square, enjoy food and drink at parties (of assorted kinds), stay up until midnight, kiss their sweetheart, and watch the ball drop. The new year brings new excitement: hopes, plans, goals, resolutions. But just as many people find the new year frustrating, disappointing or even frightening. They wonder where the last year went, why they haven't kicked that bad habit yet, or finished that dissertation chapter, or lost those few pounds. They wonder if they'll ever live up to their own or others' expectations for their lives. But God can turn all of those New Year's Blues into New Year's Blessings if we listen closely.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~Colossians 3:12-17

Focus on Being

Our New Year's Resolutions often focus on "doing." I'm going to do exercise every day. I'm going to do devotions every morning. I'm going to do more with my kids. I'm going to do more work on my Ph.D. But, it's interesting to note that is not the only advice given to the church in Colossus by Paul in the preceding scripture. While they are asked to do whatever they do for God, what is foregrounded in this scripture reading is how they should "be" with one another. Kindness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, peace, humility, gratitude. While these are characteristics when can be embodied in actions, they begin with a state of mind or character. So, perhaps this year, the question shouldn't be "to do or not to do," but like Shakespeare, "to be or not to be...." loving, kind, compassionate, forgiveness, peaceful, humble, grateful. And with that renewed sense of being, we can do all that we do "in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to the Father."

Be Little

Children are perhaps the only ones who are allowed to appreciate the gift of littleness. The lectionary today holds a reflection that stood out to me when it mentioned how we often "take littleness lightly" when littleness is often the place that gives God room to work in our lives. We may read through the Colossians passage and find ourselves disheartened, saying, "I'm not that way at all. I have so many places where I need to change." God knows this, and He loves us and chose us anyways. Sometimes we think that God needs us. God doesn't need us. We need God. To reverse it, to forget who God is, causes many problems and difficulties in our lives. We need to cast our cares upon the Lord, because we cannot shoulder them. We need to recognize our smallness, to recognize and praise the Lord's greatness.

Be Led

However, Wiederkehr, the author, also warns that we cannot stop in our tracks, accepting the fact that we are "little" or "lacking". Naturally, we want to improve. We want to be more patient with our kids, more forgiving to our spouse, more kind to all that we encounter. This is possible through Christ alone. As Wiederkehr suggests, we must remind ourselves, "I am pure capacity for God. I can be more." We certainly can be more. Through prayer, meditation in His word, and the gift of His Holy Spirit, we can change. We can be more like what we are taught to be, and this is the year to do it.... "all in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to the Father."