It’s useful, and necessary, to think about these two questions simultaneously:
Am I thinking big enough?
Am I thinking small enough?
I observe that most of us, most of the time, aren’t thinking big enough. Our views about God are abysmally small. (Helpful hint: Read Your God is Too Small by J.B. Phillips.) We have doubts or wildly incorrect views about our individual potential. Though we overestimate what we can do in a short time, or by ourselves, we usually underestimate what groups can accomplish over time. We were made for big things, serving an infinitely big God.
We were made for small things, too. The smallest kindness and courtesies are valuable. Creation is beautiful and marvelous at every scale, and much hinges on the tiniest organisms. Every thought has power. Every breath is precious. Every look and word between people has meaning. Every journey begins with a single step. Our entire life is a blip on the geological or cosmic scale – what significance do we truly deserve?
Thinking big and small is a good strategy to keep us humble yet aligned with our great purpose.
