The value of the little things in life

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THE parables Christ told his disciples that compared the Kingdom of heaven with a mustard seed and a pinch of yeast (cfr. Mt 13,31-35) obviously are meant to tell us that, yes, heaven and everything related to it can and should be found in the little and ordinary things in life which we tend to regard as insignificant. We can already have a taste of heaven while here on earth as long as we take care of the little things.

Those parables are like some breaking news meant to jolt us from our tendency to disparage these little things. As Christ said, he used parables to “announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.” In other words, the little and ordinary things in our life have great value, and have been willed by God since the beginning.

We should then try to make the necessary changes in attitude and understanding regarding the little things. We have to realize that it is in them where true knowledge and love of God is developed and maintained. 

When we fail to see, know and love God in the little things, it is very likely that we also will fail to see, know and love God in the big things of our life. Let’s keep in mind what Christ said in this regard: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” (Lk 16,10)

In short, the point we should realize more deeply is that sanctity, our ticket to heaven, certainly requires heroism, even to the point of martyrdom. But we can be sure that by being consistently loving in doing the little things of life, especially when they are hidden and unappreciated humanly, we would already be very heroic indeed, even approaching the level of martyrdom.

What we have to do is to learn to find Christ in the little things which comprise most of our day, if not of our whole life. Another way of saying it is to learn to refer everything to Christ, no matter how little or insignificant it is.

We should always be with Christ at every moment of our day, offering things to him, asking him questions like, “Lord, how should I deal with this particular situation, be it an exciting work, a boring and tiring moment, etc.?” 

We should never dare to do things simply on our own. Especially when we find ourselves in difficulties, in a quandary, in moments of temptation, etc., we have to go to Christ as quickly as possible and cling to him as tightly as possible.

And we should never forget to thank him all the time, for such a gesture connects us with him in an abiding way. When we are with Christ especially in the little things of our day, how can we doubt about having heaven in us while still here on earth?

We therefore have to learn to find Christ in everything, doing so not in some generic, theoretical way, but in a specific, practical way, one that is abiding and active. This, of course, is a great challenge to all of us, but if we believe in this truth and we try to conform ourselves to it and to persevere in it, for sure we can achieve a certain degree of success.