Faith Comes By Hearing (Blog #9):

                                     Little Daily Action Adds Up

                          By Pastor Fred Crow (Eureka, San Jose)

This week I thought I'd combine connected thoughts from two separate sources with the bible for an overall guiding principle.

Admiral William McRaven, a former Navy Seal, authored a tome titled, "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life." Within the pages of the text he espouses starting each day by making your bed - doing one simple thing to get the day going.

"Start your day with a task completed. If you want to be successful in life, start by making your bed every day...If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.  Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter."

The Admiral's thoughts mesh with another provided by English philosopher, George Henry Lewes who stated, "The only cure for grief is action." Action! Doing something - sometimes, anything! Action is the cure for grief. It helps the mind step away from emotions and resets one's perspective. Action can bring about clarity of thought and return to purpose. Action is also the cure for depression and the cure for doubt and frustration. Action - doing something.

Putting the two overarching principles together with God's Word suggests that we should have personal spiritual engagements on a daily basis - doing things, little things, accomplishing little spiritual things - daily.

King David prayed three times a day; the prophet Daniel prayed three times a day, both showed discipline of character, and focus on God and His way (Psalms 55:7; Daniel 6:10). Peter and John prayed "...at the ninth hour," or about 3pm. Peter also prayed at the sixth hour (about Noon). It seems they had specific times they went before God in prayer (Acts 10:9). Scheduling prayers seems like a little thing, a small action, but one that leads to spiritual success.

When we feel troubled or distressed, we might determine to read a chapter or two from the Psalms for encouragement. Maybe decide to read inspiring stories from Chronicles or the book of Acts showing God's intervention and protection. You might choose to write a note of appreciation to a brother or sister that you know may be going through their own trials, letting them know they are not alone and that you are praying for them. Once you complete such an act (a little thing), that action can then aid in feeling personally refreshed and invigorated, and lead to additional acts of spiritual engagement.

Many are instructed when given a challenging task that on the surface may appear overwhelming - To just start. Begin. Do something. And pretty soon a path forward can become clear.

Little things in life matter. Action matters. Doing small acts of spiritual nature can make a big difference in our lives.