This was taken from Our Daily Bread's devotion
on August 23rd. It was using Blaise Pascal's
prayer as an illustration for the verse:
"Whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God." (1 Cor.10:31).
Apparently Pascal had a prayer along this
vein. He prayed:
"Lord,help me to do great things as
though they were little, since I do
them with Your power;
and little things as though they
were great, since I do them in Your
name."
Was he just playing with words?
"great things as though they were little";
"little things as though they were great".
Sounds very catchy to the ears.
Why " do great things as though they
were little"?
The way I understand it:
Big tasks do overwhelm most of us. Before
we start, we already think of how incapable
we are of succeeding. We want to reject the
jobs. If we can't, we worry over it and get all
stressed out. We lose sleep over them.
But if we turn to God for His power and
depend on Him for wisdom and strength .....
the 'great things' become 'little'. We are not
working alone anymore. God is with us to
help us through.
What we need to get right is to make sure it
is God's work we are doing - whether spiritual
or secular.
Then what about "do little things as though
they were great"?
I understand the 'little things' to be the insignificant
tasks that usually can be done by just anybody.
They don't require special skills, talents or intellect
to carry them out. And precisely because of that,
there is not much reward in doing them. And hardly
anybody clamours or fights to do them.
But they still need to be done.
So the usual attitude is that if we are forced to
do them, we either do them most reluctantly,
grumpily, or badly. Or all three and demand
to be appreciated after that.
Thus Pascal's belief behind his prayer. If we do
them in God's name, then these "little things"
become great.
Seen in that light, we might do them more
cheerfully and well. Because we do them to
please God our Father.
And if we really can't take it anymore, (like
house-keeping), then the duty has become
a 'great' thing. Well, what do we do?
Pray "Lord, help me to do great things as
though they were little, since I do them
with Your power."
