The story of Christ’s birth reminds us that it doesn’t have to big and extravogant to be meaningful

3 min read

Does life ever make you feel really small? I must admit that I run into situations fairly regularly that tend to leave me feeling kind of puny and insignificant as a person.

When I first launched this devotional blog, I made the mistake of comparing my fledgling blog to other well-established ones. It was pretty demoralizing. Compared to the 100,000 followers of some bloggers, my 50 followers was, well, kinda small.

Let’s face it, most of us have a bias for big…big personalities, big cities, big companies, big churches, etc. Conventional wisdom tells us that generally, bigger is better.

But not so much with God. He’s not nearly as fascinated with BIG as we are.

This time of the year we are reminded that almost everything about the arrival of Jesus the Messiah was little. It would be a little manger in a little town in a little country that would provide the setting for the birth of Christ. And it was a little (minor) prophet that foretold it:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. -Micah 5:2

God did not look for the biggest, best, or brightest place as the entry point for the Redeemer. He chose obscure little Bethlehem. Not Jerusalem. Not Rome. Not Alexandria. He picked Bethlehem, a place too little to even grace the map at the time.

So for those of us who feel too little and insignificant to be useful in God’s redemptive story, we should take heart in the Bethlehem principle:

Sometimes a little is all it takes.

It’s true, a little time, a little kindness, a little love can make such a big difference, especially at Christmas.

Like the guy who is on his way to work when he sees a lady trying to jump-start her car. Rather than driving on, he does a U-turn and offers help. The next fifteen minutes changes both of their lives for the better.

Like the graceful response to a cutting remark made at the family gathering. Rather than shooting back and quenching the spirit, she paused, then offered a kind word in return. That little, almost unnoticeable act diffused a bomb that would have otherwise ruined the moment. The celebration continued. 

Like the small gift given to the man who has no family. That little present made him feel so loved, so thought of, so important to someone.

Like the little prayer…

Like the little smile…

Like the little wink…

Like the little hug…

May the Lord help us not to scoff at or underestimate the potential in little, because the truth is that just a little bit of the right thing at the right time can change a life.

O little town of Bethlehem, thank you for reminding us to embrace little because sometimes a little is all it takes.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.