On a recent Wednesday I called Andary’s Grill (one of the world’s best diners – on Gratiot just south of Stephens) to see if they had any split pea soup (theirs is the finest in the world). I was informed that things are a little different these days (have you noticed? LOL. I sure have.) – and their soup rotation is not the same as when people could actually sit down and eat. So, this past Sunday, while ordering a couple of their great breakfast sandwiches, I casually asked if they had the commodity for which we were lusting – and they did (smiley face)! Last night we dined upon the delicacy.
It was then that it hit me how – even through this crazy time that is so scary and dangerous to many – there remain so many, many small blessings that continue. And how these small things, when added together, are HUGE … far outweighing the dangerous and frightening things. One of those small things is the split pea soup we get at Andary’s Grill. So last night I thanked Jesus that, even with our world in such disarray, we could still enjoy this wondrous small thing.
Psalm 23 talks about those small things. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23.1-3) How many small things – like split pea soup – come to your mind as you read these words?
I slept well in the comfort of my home and warm bed last night (our green sheets remind me of those pastures). My morning run ended with a refreshing light mist in the air. I am drinking from a cup of ice-cold water as sit at our dining room table to write. Last night, before the split pea soup, we had some great conversations with friends and family. Oh, yes, he does restore my soul.
And then there is the thing that is not so little – he leads me in paths of righteousness – simply because of who he is (not because I deserve it, or have earned it, but because he is love … and because he loves me!). So often I take this as a little thing – like the cherry on top of a sundae. However, truth be told, it is the huge things that holds all the small things together.
I am a small thing – a speck in the universe and in time – yet Christ Jesus gives me great value while also flooding my life with small things (that really are great blessings). And he loves each and every one of you in the same way … even though my split pea may be your lemon rice (not my fav). In Jesus we can see how his “goodness and mercy follow us every day of our lives” (Psalm 23.6) as he holds us together (leads us … )
And, though this may also seem like a small thing, but Jesus also assures us, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33)
Now that I think about it – COVID-19 … economic downfall … boredom …. Satan’s attacks … these are really the small things. They are all small in the eyes of Jesus who has overcome them all for us (jumping for joy emoji). And all those little blessings are really HUGE – like split pea soup! (folded hands, cross, smiley face with glasses)