Little Things

by Andrew Cromwell

Little things become big things. It is such an obvious observation that I hesitate to mention it. Little children grow up. Little trees become giant towers. Little beginnings often become significant legacies.

Most things are designed to grow. When something doesn’t grow, we automatically search for the reason. This is the nature of things. This is true with living things, but it is also true with problems.

Have you noticed that little problems often become big ones when they are left to themselves? A friend recently shared with me that he ignored a small problem in his car, telling himself it was too expensive to deal with at the moment. Now he’s paying five times that amount in repairs when that little thing became a big thing.

The Apostle Paul said, “A little bit of yeast works its way through the whole dough.” Bakers know that you don’t need to add much yeast, because by its very nature yeast affects everything it comes in contact with. It’s like a single drop of food coloring in a pitcher of water—in just moment the whole pitcher blooms in color.

A local farmer told me about a time he was irrigating. He couldn’t figure out where his water was going. The trees should have been standing in a foot of water, but they weren’t. As he poked around in the mud to try and find out why, suddenly the ground caved underneath him and carried him down the hill. Fortunately he was alright, and he found his water. A little gopher hole had carried it away to a patch of sand where it had quickly been sucked down.

A small engine leak, an unpaid bill, a relationship that is just a little off kilter—all are small things, but they can turn into huge things if ignored for too long. Deal with it now and you save yourself pain and expense later. It’s up to you.

So what have you been ignoring, just hoping that by doing so it will go away? Perhaps it’s time to take your medicine so that you don’t have to swallow the whole bottle later!

Engage

by Andrew Cromwell

One of the more popular TV series during the 80s and 90s was Star Trek: The Next Generation. Apart from the great chemistry among the characters and the adventures the crew experienced as they “boldly went where no man had gone before”, there is an image that lives in my mind whenever I think about the series.

In my mind’s eye I see Captain Jean-Luc Picard standing on the bridge of his ship about to utter the single word that would launch both the ship and the episode into action. As he lifted his right hand and in a single motion flicked his wrist forward, pointing in the direction the ship was to go, he would speak the word, “Engage.”

And with that single word, the crew would hurtle forward towards their newest adventure. If you’re not familiar with this scene, a quick trip to youtube with a search for the terms “Picard” and “engage” will cement this reality forever in your mind.

If you were to look up the word “engage” in the dictionary, you would find that one of its definitions is “to participate or to become involved in.” It is an action word that implies movement towards something. When one is engaged, it is clear they have taken ownership of their behavior and are intentionally entering in.

When it comes to relationships, we must engage. Just like Captain Picard and his crew, we too must move forward into the lives of others. Far too often we sit back and passively wait for others to engage with us. But in our relationships, especially the most important relationships in our lives, we cannot afford to wait and see.

Sometimes we fail to engage because we are uncertain or uncomfortable. Perhaps you are uncertain of exactly what to do. Your teenager is acting like teenagers do, and you are uncertain exactly how best to connect. It feels like they are moving away relationally, but how do you begin? Perhaps you are uncomfortable. You and your spouse just haven’t been connecting and you don’t know how to bridge the gap. You want to talk but it is so uncomfortable to start the conversation that you just tend to wait.

At our best, when we are motivated by real love, we refuse to allow our uncertainty and discomfort to determine our level of engagement. For any relationship to continue to grow, it requires engagement! It requires conversation, time, attention, thought, dedication and effort.

My dad once told me about a guy he met during boot camp. This guy wasn’t the best looking guy in the world, as a matter of fact, he had a severe case of acne. He also wasn’t the smoothest or coolest guy around. And yet, whenever the guys on base had leave, this guy always had a date. Always. He had more dates than anyone else. Why? He talked to more girls and asked more times than anyone else. When everyone else was screwing up their courage to talk to that one girl, he had already talked to five. He didn’t allow himself to be discouraged just because someone turned him down, he kept engaging.

We need to take a page from that playbook! When relationships get difficult and distant, instead of walking away with our head hanging low and deciding to nurse our wounds, lets press in. When that teenager is moving away, go ahead and step into their world. And if the first attempt doesn’t work, try something different! When you and your spouse need to have that difficult conversation and you just don’t know how to start, stop waiting for them and dive in!

Those Things That Only You Can Do

by Andrew Cromwell

Recently I was reminded that of all the things that I do in my life, there are only a few things that I and only I can do. No one else can do these things for me. In virtually every other area of my life, I am replaceable — but not in these few things. No one can "step in" for me in these areas.

Wayne Cordeiro calls these areas the "last 5%". This is true for all of us. He breaks it down like this:

Eighty percent of what you do, anyone can do — answer the phone, check your email, take notes at the meeting, fill out reports, etc.

Fifteen percent of what you do, anyone with some basic skills can do — run your software program, deal with clients, operate specific machinery, etc.

But the last five percent, no one else can do — be your spouse's mate, be your children's mother or father, build your relationship with God, etc.

This last five percent is what is truly worth our time. The other things might be good, but these things are great. These things are worth investing your life in.

Only you can grow spiritually. Only you can open your heart to Jesus Christ. You are responsible to shepherd and guard your own heart. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." No one else holds our spiritual future in their hands. You are the one who decides whether to follow God with all of your heart, or just with your spare time. This is the one thing that can truly set all of your life in order and put you on the road to great success.

Only you can keep yourself motivated to obey God and to seek Him. The bottom line is that you alone are responsible to bring motivation to the table. You must keep yourself motivated by keeping your eyes on the prize and your heart full of hope. The circumstances of life are are always waging war against your belief that life can be better and that God is faithful. In the Old Testament we read that "David encouraged himself in the Lord" (1 Samuel 30:6). Sometimes we have to stare the ugly facts of life straight in the face and decide that instead of allowing those things to discourage, destroy or distract us, we instead will encourage ourselves. We will choose to remember that God is greater than any circumstance and that He is always faithful.

Only you can love your family as their father, mother, husband or wife. No one else but you can play this role as well as you. You are responsible to play the role in your home that God has created for you. If you are anything like me, far to often you find yourself spending time on things that take you away from being the best you can be for your family. Instead of putting your family as the priority, they get put on the back burner. But if you cho0se to embrace this important role, then you will discover that the investment pays incredible dividends.

Time is short in life. We have to decide where to invest it. There are many great things to do, but there are only a few things that only you can do. Choose to do these things and you will never regret it.

This weekend, why don't you grab your family and head to church? The pastors of Kings County would love the opportunity to encourage you to invest your five percent in the best way possible.