“It’s in the little things”; “it’s the little things that count”… sayings we’ve probably heard before. But if the ‘little’ things are so important, then are they really ‘little’? How do we even define little? Are things little according to us, or according to God? I’ve been pondering on this for a while, and hope to do a 2-part series (unless I think of something else to extend it!), on little things. To start with, in this post, I will focus on ‘little sins’.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says “Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes” (NKJV). Again, that word ‘little’. Possibly because the foxes appear little, we think we can ignore them, after all, how much damage can a little fox do? But this verse makes it clear that they are the ones that actually spoil the vines. I mean, think of Covid-19 (it’s probably not too far from our thoughts these days though). It is only 125nm (nanometres). A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre. For context, one strand of human hair has a diameter of 75,000nm, on average. And yet, that tiny virus has held the world hostage. Why? It multiplies. And that’s the problem with little things, they do not stay little. James 3:5b says “ But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire” (NLT).

I saw this quote on social media a while ago “Satan and his legion are not dissatisfied with you falling to “smaller” temptation. He is patient to reap the harvest of that small investment.” This quote from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis was also shared with me recently: “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”

Honestly, I feel like just writing ‘drops mic’ after that, and rounding up this post. However, I’ll just touch on a few things first.

There is a saying in Pidgin English that expresses this aptly, “na from clap e dey take enter dance”. Before a person starts dancing, they usually start clapping, and/or other little gestures…maybe tapping their feet, nodding their head to the music, snapping their fingers. Then they get up, start with a little shake, and before you know it, the dance is in full swing. Big things start small.

As such, we need to watch the so-called little things. Psalm 141:3 (ESV) says “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Think of this verse almost in a literal way, like having a mini bodyguard right by our lips, ensuring we guard against the wrong words escaping from our lips. This means that even when provoked, we are careful how we respond, so that we do not sin. We can also set a similar guard by our ears, our eyes, our heart, so that we are mindful when we listen to, or view things that may be seemingly harmless, but really aren’t. I remember once when I was watching a very interesting series. It would have been a brilliant series, except for one thing… it was littered with swearing… especially one particular word. It was amazing how much swearing they could fit into one episode! I still watched it though, because I wanted to know how it would end… I was already hooked. However, I was surprised when one day something happened… I can’t remember what now, but possibly a small kitchen accident, and my immediate response was to use that particular word that had been repeated so often in the series! In retrospect, I really shouldn’t have been surprised. I had been hearing it on repeat for days, and as they say ‘garbage in, garbage out’. It was a lesson for me, and even though I can’t say I have perfectly mastered this, I am more mindful now. I do wish we had more great TV content with less swearing et al though!

How else can we guard against these little things creeping up on us unawares (or maybe not necessarily ‘unawares’)? For starters, it would help us if we stopped seeing some sins as little, and some as big. Lying is one of the ones that most of us put in the ‘little category’. ‘Ah, it was just a small lie’, a ‘white lie’. But, who deceives us so? In Proverbs 6:16-19, in a list of 6/7 things God hates, number 2 is lying. Proverbs 12:22 reinforces this: “The Lord detests lying lips” (NLT); Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (ESV). Those are some strong words to describe how God feels about lying. It makes sense though that God would hate lying, not just because it can wreak a trail of havoc sometimes, but because He is the truth! (John 14:6). As such, lying is the very opposite of His character, so why wouldn’t He hate it? And If God hates it so much, then how can it be little? Minimising an action or behaviour subconsciously makes us feel okay with carrying it out, whatever that action or behaviour may be. This is why it is so important to refrain from doing so.

I was recently reading one of Aesop’s fables – the Gnat and the Lion – to my kids. I’ve copied a version from here below.

“Away with you, vile insect!” said a Lion angrily to a Gnat that was buzzing around his head. But the Gnat was not in the least disturbed.

“Do you think,” he said spitefully to the Lion, “that I am afraid of you because they call you king?”

The next instant he flew at the Lion and stung him sharply on the nose. Mad with rage, the Lion struck fiercely at the Gnat, but only succeeded in tearing himself with his claws. Again and again the Gnat stung the Lion, who now was roaring terribly. At last, worn out with rage and covered with wounds that his own teeth and claws had made, the Lion gave up the fight.

The Gnat buzzed away to tell the whole world about his victory, but instead he flew straight into a spider’s web. And there, he who had defeated the King of beasts came to a miserable end, the prey of a little spider.”

Isn’t that how it is with us sometimes? We are so careful to avoid, and successfully fight against ‘big sins’ in our lives. We even judge others who succumb to such sins. However, we allow ourselves to act on the ‘small’ ones. Sadly, those are the ones that could very well end up destroying us, because, as stated earlier, Satan is patient to reap the harvest of that small investment. He knows it is easier for us to ignorantly let in those little sins, and diligently keep the big ones away. The problem is, like a virus, once in, they don’t stay small, but multiply and grow bigger. It’s like the ripple effect of a small object dropped in water.

A popular quote we may have already heard is:

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;
watch your words, they become actions;
watch your actions, they become habits;
watch your habits, they become character;
watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

I’m not quite sure who the original author is though, as that seems to be in dispute, but the message itself rings true, and is not in dispute. It may seem incredible that our mere thoughts can lead to our destiny, but when broken down like this, we can see how patterns form, and how the journey from thoughts to destiny begins.

This is why it is so important to start by conquering our thoughts. I was recently re-reading this verse, “We pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 (GNT), and it struck me in a different light. We are to examine and review each thought, making sure it obeys Christ. In a sense, it’s almost like placing each thought under a microscope, inspecting it to make sure that it is in obedience to God’s word, before proceeding to dwell on it. If it is not in obedience to God’s word, then it should be discarded promptly… picked up and flung far, far away, like an unwelcome insect that has just landed on our skin. Philippians 4:8 can be our guide, a ‘thoughts test’ if you like: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”(ESV).

May God help us to trample on and destroy the little seeds of sin before they grow into huge ugly trees in our lives. God is like a gardener who wants our lives to be beautiful gardens. As such, we should be mindful of the seeds we allow to be planted in our lives. If any such seeds have already started growing though, it is not too late. God can help us destroy them from the roots.

I pray that we are able to dismiss the size labels we put on sin, and that we can reflect on, and more importantly, act on this word. When we are tempted to minimise a sin and its consequences before proceeding to act on it, may we remember that “From the tiny acorn, grows the mighty oak”, or to put it differently, “na from clap e dey take enter dance”.