Devotional by: Stephanie Solorzano
It’s the little things. A statement I’ve heard since the beginning of my life. My grandpa told me this when I would cut corners on my homework: “It’s the little things, Steph.” My mom would tell me this as she inspected the chores I completed: “It’s the little things, Steph.” And my dad would occasionally tell me this when life was harder than I wanted it to be: “Mija, it’s the little things that go a long way.” As I was riding in the car with my family one day, my sister wanted a back massage, and Lord knows I did not want to give this back rub. Just as I was about to say “no” I heard the Lord whisper to me: “It’s the little things.”
However familiar I had become with this phrase, what I failed to understand was that it can be applied to an area of life that every Christian knows: worship.
Through this simple phrase the Lord began to explain to me that worship is not just singing a song, or putting one’s hands in the air to a nice melody. The Lord defined worship to me as a “giving of oneself in order to glorify Jesus.” This God-given definition of worship dramatically shifted my worldview and the way I conducted myself in everyday life. The shift in my perspective began with self-evaluation. As I reflected on my own worship and relationships, I realized that the giving of myself was limited or conditional. In my worship, I slowly realized that unintentionally my life reflected that my worship only happened or belonged in church buildings. I was not allowing worship to be found in every aspect of my life. When I went further and evaluated my relationships, I began to notice that this same mindset was affecting my interactions with others. I saw myself constantly evaluating everything I did for them and asking, “what can this do for me?” instead of taking joy in doing the little things without any expected return.
But as I began to value the little things as worship unto God, my attitude got better, my joy increased, and my relationships got healthier. I found myself truly loving others as Jesus did, with the expectation of nothing in return.
Imagine doing things without any expectation of something in return. This looks different depending upon who you are: a mom of a young child, a sister to many, a Christ-follower who people like talking to, a guy that’s trying to find his way, whomever. I want to encourage you that it is the little things that we do unto the Lord that can create a lifestyle of worship. Worship then becomes our daily offering and sacrifice to God.
Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
I give my body and life over to God and serve Him as I serve others, for this is truly the way to worship Him.
