simple yet significant

A personal mission statement is a statement that defines your values; it speaks of what matters most to you. I love journaling and getting things on paper and being able to express my thoughts, but to be honest I always thought that writing down a mission statement for my life was stupid. I guess because things change, they are always developing, always growing and deepening and writing down a statement for my life; doing that process with God, felt so overwhelming to me. What if I didn’t like it? What if I had a different idea for my life in what ministry looked like? What if? What if?

Six years ago, I suffered from severe postpartum depression after having my little girl Hadassah. That’s a longer story that I will one day share, but through a series of events, I found myself at the end of my tether with everything. I found myself collapsing in a heap and screaming out to God and right then and their God spoke to me and said, I love you, just as you are, but I will NOT leave you where you are.

Over a journey of a couple of months, God showed me and spoke to me about the concept and the importance of “simple yet significant”. God spoke about this being my personal mission statement. It turned out that this thing that I used to think was stupid would save me in more ways than one. I truly believe that there is nothing too small or too simple that God’s touch doesn’t make significant. The sad thing is that sometimes we can miss it, because too often we associate simple with small, with easy, or unimportant. We associate significance with grand, with great influence and a great opportunity. But I wonder who is the one to say it’s great, who decides? Who is holding the measuring stick of significance?

About 9 years ago I vividly remember praying for patience, let me tell you that this was the worst thing I could have prayed for HA! God definitely answered that prayer right then and there. The number of things that came across my path tested and grew my patience.

I am a mum of three kids; I tell you those little cherubs can test and grow my patience and sometimes help me to realise how much I still lack in this area. Patience, kindness, love, that's the simple stuff, right? But they are not so simple when you have your patience tested time and time again, or doors are closed in your face, or it seems that the only answer you hear is “No!”. Kindness and love are not so simple when you have the opportunity to not just preach it on a platform on a Sunday, but you have to extend it to others that have disappointed you, who have hurt you. But these seemingly simple things are what impact a person's life most significantly.

What if, just maybe, significance looks like showing daily gentleness, demonstrating love (even before you’ve had your morning coffee), speaking words of kindness, reflecting our creator and bearing fruit.

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you abide in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit

This little word: “abide” means to remain stable, to remain fixed. In the next six verses, Jesus uses this word 11 times. Not-so-subtly reminding you and me to remain in His love, to remain in His word, to remain in Him. The fruit of the Spirit can only come forth by firstly remaining in Jesus. So, my question to you is what fruits are you bearing? We only produce the fruit that God cultivates within us, our fruit-bearing is simply a result of what He does in us.

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.

Paul lists these behaviours, as a result of Holy Spirit being at work in and through you. I know all too well that it is much easier to quote this scripture than to display and live out these qualities. In my experience, it is not convenient to show love when someone chose what they chose and knew it would hurt you, it is not convenient and to show gentleness and kindness. 

I find the fruits of the spirit go unnoticed, they can too easily go unseen, and people take them for granted. These more subtle characteristics are not the most lauded character traits; give me courage, or boldness any day of the week. I want to preach and lead loudly! Give me the platform! That’s easier than forgiving from my quiet place. But I wonder; what if this was the most significant platform you were entrusted with? What if we are overlooking these character traits because they have a level of emotion and vulnerability to them, which in this day and age can be seen as a weakness. Throughout the Bible, Scripture emulates simple moments with significant impact:

●      God used Samson and a donkey jawbone to slay a thousand men 

●      He used David his slingshot and stones to slay the mighty Goliath

●      He used the unnamed little boy who had 5 loaves and two fishes

●      He used a simple stable and manager to welcome the saviour of the world.

These acts seem so simple, yet the effect was significant. These moments altered people’s outcome and changed the course of history.

In my years, 30 to be exact, I’ve realised that we are so quick to undervalue the small and that often leads to missing the significant. Why is that? Humans are creatures of habit and we’ve learnt to subscribe to big moments in emotionally charged rooms, we just want a touch of heaven, a conference moment. But God doesn’t just want to meet you in a moment but through your day today.

The same is often our perception of ourselves, it’s tempting to value gifting and talent over character. The danger is that we may be gifted but unkind, a brilliant businessman but unwilling to show grace, a sharp and talented employee but you never display peace. 

When we operate like this there is nothing that separates us from the other gifted, talented people around us. It’s the fruit of the spirit that shows God's work in us, it ought to cause people to see our lives and want to know more.  When we look at Christ, we have the perfect illustration of what God's Spirit should look like in us. If it were good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me. I am convinced that the Fruits of the Spirit at work in our lives will take us places, open up doors and give us great influence that a platform won’t.