Of Haircuts, Bananas, and Traffic Patterns: Is anything too Small for the Lord?

Is there anything too small for the Lord?

OK, that's not how the verse goes: 

Is there anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; 32:27; Luke 18:27)

But maybe the first is a question we should also ask. Let me share why...

The other day I was taking my daily walk down our hill, through the nature path, alongside the horse farm, through a park area with the baseball fields and grove of trees...then back again. Many times this walk is when I commune with the Lord....listening to praise music, talking with  my Savior and Friend.

And other times, I commune with friends or family via my cell phone. Also lovely and meaningful.

This day, it was the latter. And to my delight, it turned out to be the perfect time to chat with my sweet daughter Beth. 

The conversation began with my comment on the photo of her new haircut which she had posted on Facebook the day before with the caption, "I'm back to my old self."  

Beth said that she had prayed that her new style would come out well but had felt guilty with all the big things going on in the world to pray about something so insignificant.

Immediately, the Lord brought to mind an incident, almost forgotten, that took place when my husband and I were students at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1974. We were living in the married students dorm at that time but ate in the dining hall with all the other students. The food was very good. We would often have fresh fruit, salad, and a delicious menu of dishes. So we absolutely had no complaints about the food, and hey! I didn't have to shop or cook!

One week, we had decided to invite a couple from our church to come visit us on campus at the end of their work week and our week of class. For dessert that night, I wanted to fix my then specialty, "chocolate fondue" with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows and angel food cake chunks dipped in yummy hot fudge sauce.  

But there was a problem with my dessert plan. We had the chocolate sauce, the strawberries, the marshmallows, and the angel food cake, but we had run out of bananas. And there was no time to go to the store. (We lived just north of the loop, business district, in Chicago and the closest grocery store was a ways up LaSalle Street, further into the bad part of town).

So I prayed for a banana! Yes, I did! I asked God to please give me a banana in the fresh fruit bowl that next morning at the beginning of our buffet line.

No big deal you say? It was a big deal, because we rarely, if ever, had bananas at breakfast. We had apples, oranges, and maybe a few other kinds of fruit...but not bananas. I knew it was a long-shot, but not for my Father.

So the next morning, when we went downstairs to get on line for breakfast, guess what? That's right! There at the beginning of the buffet line, rising above the lovely apples and oranges, was my beautiful, perfect banana in all its golden gloriousness! And yes, there were other bananas! But just that day, that one banana was a gift from the hand of my Abba Father for the delight of four of His beloved children that very night in 1974 in Chicago at Moody Bible Institute, married students' dorm. 

Not long after, I came upon a quote (from DL Moody, I think). I don't remember the exact wording, so my paraphrase is this:

Nothing is too big for God's Power, and nothing is too small for His Love.

And I have known ever since that my loving Heavenly Father cares for even the smallest of small in my life. So I ask Him to "open the Red Sea" when I'm entering highway traffic. I praise Him when a parking space opens up. And I give Him the credit when even little things fall together in my life, almost serendipitously -- all God-winks! 

My hairs are still numbered (though they are less than than used to be)...and yours are numbered too, my friend. 

What are the little things you think are too small for God so you need to handle on your own? Give them to Him...ask, seek, knock...nothing is too small for His love, just as nothing is too great for His power! He cares for you!

Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. Luke 12:22-32 NLT