Tuesday Tales: Little is Rich

 

There’s an old Gaither Vocal Band song called Little is Much When God is In It. Truth, right there, but today it’s a slightly different word that comes to my mind. Little is rich. What does that mean, you might ask? Let me tell you.

                It’s no secret that we live in a world that celebrates all things big. Megachurches and world-record-breaking everything and all kinds of muchness. While those things aren’t bad or wrong, you’ll never convince me that there isn’t beauty in the smallness. I remember telling Lynne Ford that when I worked at the radio station. Toward the end of my time there, I told her that every now and then, I wished for a small life. Radio was fun, but radio was big. And sometimes I missed the small.

                This week, I’ve had a couple of moments when small things made a big impact, reminding me of the richness to be found in that which the world would consider little.

                At the end of July, I finally ordered something I have had my eye on for a few years…and indeed had been saving money to buy. It was this Cradle-to-Cross Advent wreath from The Keeping Company. Some friends gifted me money last year…a gift that held significance…and I put it toward one of these wreaths. And last month I added the rest of the money I needed and placed the order. The website said orders would shop mid-August, but much to my surprise, I received a shipping notification a little over a week ago.

                And then it seemed stuck for days…and then a week. I wasn’t upset, but I did want to check on it, just in case something was legitimately wrong.

                The company is owned and run by Ann Voskamp’s son, Caleb, and his wife, and they’re all located in Canada, so I thought maybe the delay came in international shipping. I emailed just to check on it, and when Caleb replied, my jaw hit the floor.

                He thanked me for my kindness and grace. He thoroughly researched every single step of the tracking from the moment it left their hands and was able to tell me a more detailed view than the tracking link I had would show me. He explained the probable reasons for the delays, and gave me his best estimate for its actual arrival, along with his gut feeling that it would probably be sooner.

                And it was. It arrived yesterday, beautifully packaged and even more stunning to behold than I could have imagined.

                I love it. I love it for what it is. I love it because it is partly a gift to me from a dear family. I love it because it came from a little company run by real people with kind hearts. I love it because it reminds me that little is rich. Little companies are rich in kindness. Little places are rich in story. Little pieces are rich in beauty.

                Little IS much, when God is in it. But also, little is just rich. I hope you have some little places that have made your life richer, too!