Visualize
Small: A minor in influence, power, or rank. . . of little consequence.[1]
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.” —Micah 5:2
Read
This fall I perched on the cold, metal bleachers of our high school football stadium watching our varsity senior, Jo, snap the ball at center, then drive the guy in front of him ten yards up the field, only to have the other team get by our guards yet again. I sighed, and felt Jo’s pain. He works so hard, for what? Our high school, though large in size, is of little consequence since we lose and keep on losing. Over half our school population lives at the poverty level, which means less funding for booster clubs, less access to resources like personal coaching and specialized training, less notice from college recruiters, and less influence, power or prestige within the wider community. As one of my son’s classmates said, “We are the poor school. No one cares about us.”
My husband and I have wrestled with the reality of North’s rankings—dead last, most of the time. Why would God plant our boys at a losing school? Should they transfer to one with a higher ranking, more opportunities?
In the midst of my internal wrangling, I’ve been reflecting on God’s choice to send Jesus to Bethlehem—too little, too poor to even be counted among the tribes of Israel. Bethlehem, where many people lived in modified desert caves that probably stank of sheep, donkeys, camels, inadequate sewerage and unwashed bodies. Jerusalem, unlike Bethlehem, was the influential city—resplendent with Roman-era colonnades, palaces, and the Temple Mount. You’d expect the Messiah to be born into a Jerusalem palace, surrounded by the rich and powerful.
But God chose Bethlehem instead.
God choosing Bethlehem is a reminder that Jesus “was, is, and always will be, born in oppression and poverty, in dryness and ugliness, and in ordinary boringness.” [2] Why? Because Jesus came to save the poor in spirit—those who know their spiritual poverty, their desperate need. When you accept that nothing you have or don’t have can cover up the reality of your humanity, you enter into rest. As C.S. Lewis’ once said: “Be comforted, small one, in your smallness.”[3]
What does it look like to rest in our human smallness?
Resting in our smallness means being delivered from trying to figure everything out. Resting in our smallness means finding comfort in trusting the God who knows all. Resting in our smallness means taking comfort in the greatness of Jesus, not our own. Resting in our smallness means we learn to say with King David:
“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty; I don’t concern myself with matters too great . . . for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for his mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always.”
Ponder
In what ways might God be calling you to take comfort in your smallness?
Pray
Inhale: I am small. . .
Exhale: But You are not. . .
*You can find the full post series here.
[1] Merriam-Webster.com
[2] Rebgetz, Marella. Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of Saint Benedict. https://www.goodsams.org.au/article/o-little-town-of-bethlehem-how-still-we-see-thee-lie/
[3] CS Lewis, Perelandra, 16.
Pursued 