Pick up a relationship book or listen to a marriage podcast and you’ll soon discover that experts overwhelmingly agree that the little things matter.  Like, everyday conversations, interactions and efforts that occur in our relationships.  They help to determine whether or not we’re thriving or just surviving, enjoying one another, or simply tolerating the other.  And my personal relationships are no exception. 

Like with my husband, my kids and family, and friends.  I’m keenly aware that my lack of attention to the small opportunities to offer myself towards a loved one’s benefit in those quick, everyday moments is only to my own detriment—they miss out on a blessing, and I do, too! A quick word of encouragement or a hug here and there doesn’t cost me much except a little bit of time, but it really does mean so much. I love how Jesus set the example for us when He walked among the people, keeping focused on the person in front of Him and interacting with intentionality—in the big and the small things He encountered in their lives.

I’ve made a couple of impactful discoveries about this concept concerning the little things.  The first is that the little stuff really does matter in my relationship with God, too.  I’ve always tended to the big things—the big commitment of a long Bible study or the extended time in my prayer closet.  I’ll probably never stop loving those things; however, now I see the rich value of the little things as well.  Like a quick devotional reading on a busy morning or a single song of praise in my earbuds while I walk around the house with the duster in my hand.  The small interactions I have with the Lord in prayer or in thought or in His Word add up.  They culminate, really, into one word written in John Chapter 15: Abide. 

Abide in Him, for He abides in you. (John 15: 4). Abiding in many ways is creating routines.  It’s living out rhythms of connection with God through His Word, His Spirit within us, and His people—all of those little things.  Like recess . . .

My second discovery:  I am loving the idea of recess–it matters.  You remember recess.  That little routine of having time on the playground right after lunch in elementary school?  Maybe it was your favorite part of the day.  At its conception, recess was a rhythm that some very wise leaders and administrators thoroughly thought through.  Though it was only a short fifteen (twenty tops) minutes, it totally mattered.  Just ask the tired teachers in the afternoon if recess made a difference in whether or not their class would merely thrive or survive the day; whether or not they enjoyed the students or could just tolerate them! 

The point:  Oh, what a difference a few minutes can make. Oh, what value is found in the small stuff.  Oh, how important it is to engage in it. And oh, how easy it is to love and be loved by our God who invites us to abide in Him each and every day in all the little things.