a little bit goes a long way

i had bananas who had clearly seen better days so i decided to make banana walnut bread. i stopped at the store and picked up walnuts because i thought they were the only ingredient i didn't already have at home. i jumped right in with the mixing and measuring only to find that i didn't have any baking soda. the recipe called for a teaspoon. just a teaspoon? i'll just skip it.

big. mistake.

when i took the bread out of the oven, it was flat, dense and un-breadlike. after a little post-oops research i found out that the little amount of baking soda i deemed unimportant was the one important thing i needed in order for the bread to rise.

i'm kind of ashamed to even post this picture!

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a friend and i were talking about our guys and our relationships, and she asked me if john and i had ever discussed the five love languages. we really haven't, but i had to read the children's version of the book in college, and i commented that i have come to realize that when john takes even just 10 minutes to really talk to me, [no responding to texts in the middle of our conversation, no playing games on the itouch, nothing else in hand, and the same goes for me, too; i'm just as guilty!] i feel validated, heard, and loved. i don't get so grumpy if we don't see each other for the next 2 or 3 days because that little act of speaking my love language of quality time fills my love tank up.

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sometimes [i'd even say a lot of the time] it takes little time or effort on our part to make an impact. little notes from my stud, and i feel an incredible amount of love for days. a simple text from a friend in the morning letting me know she's thinking of me helps get me through what might otherwise have been a defeating day. a little thoughtfulness, intentionality and the choice to act can have an effect that multiplies a simple gift into something much bigger.

it's wrong to think that i shouldn't act if i'm not able to donate a million dollars towards a charity, end world hunger, or provide clean drinking water for a country. we don't always see the full repercussions of our actions. a kind word, a warm meal, or an invitation to coffee might produce a ripple that touches many, many more lives than ever imagined. or it might bless one person or family. in either case, we have the opportunity and responsibility to act. the little things do matter. and God calls us to be faithful in the little first.

might i encourage you to do a little thing for someone today?