I'm okay with small (being a small-church pastor)

So... I've been sitting in the sanctuary of our church building. You know... the acoustics are terrible; the seating arrangement is nothing short of stupid; it's old and falling apart - the windows are crooked, the walls sag, the floor has a huge bow in the middle..... But it is a special place.

The other day I wrote a post about thinking too small. I deleted it. I am really glad for "big" thinkers, but you would think I would learn my lesson someday about thinking "I" need to be a big thinker too. Because I'm not... and that's okay. Yes, we need those people who can make world-effecting decisions, those people who can speak for the masses, those who have no problem living in the fast lane. But I've never been one of them, and I hope I never am. Not because there's anything wrong with them, but there's nothing wrong with small either.

While sitting upstairs I recalled the story of the little boy and the starfish. A person was walking the beach one morning and noticed a boy bending down, picking something up, and throwing it into the ocean as far as he could. Over and over he did it. As the observer came closer he saw thousands of starfish the tide had brought onto the beach. The tide had receded and they would eventually die, so the boy was throwing them back into the water - one at a time. The man finally says, "Son, there must be thousands of starfish. You'll never be able to get to all of them. You can't possibly make a difference." The boy smiled and continued to pick up another starfish and toss it into the water. "It made a difference for that one," he replied.

I know it's an old story, and there are several different versions of it. But the truth remains the same. Some people are able to make a difference on a large scale. But there are always those who fall through the cracks, those no one sees or notices. As a pastor/church leader, it's tempting to want a large congregation, to be well-known and liked, maybe write a bestseller or three. I doubt that too many people want to go to a little country church and invest their life in prayer and the study of God's Word for the sake of a few though. But this is my beach. Perhaps I'm not a big thinker, but a simple starfish slinger.

I may never make a difference on a large scale, but may I never give in to ideas of grandeur. Lord, give me strength to resist the temptation of being anyone other than who I am and who You want me to be.