The small and yet profound

The week my mother died, my father received a mountain of sympathy cards. I can still hear the rip of each envelope and the quiver in my voice as I read the cards and personal notes to my dad. Each one was a reminder of our loss, and a reminder that someone loved us.

I opened one particular card to discover a book of stamps. At first I thought that the sender left them there by mistake. But no, the stamps were for my father. A friend had lost a loved one too, and wanted us to use the stamps for my mother’s memorial “thank you” cards.

What a small,

practical,

yet profound gift…

 

 

This precious friend had been in our shoes. Perhaps they too, struggled to write “thank you” for the food, flowers, or contributions because they’d rather have their loved one back. Maybe after seeing their pain in print over and over and over again, they couldn’t find a stamp anywhere in the house; increasing their level of stress and frustration, making a difficult day that much harder. 

Their gift was profound because it helped my dad not to stress over one more thing while accepting his heartbreak.

They knew this. They understood. So they gave in love.

Sometimes you just need one stamp… or sometimes you need a whole book of them.

 

 

 

 

When you stop and think about it, an inexpensive, 9 mm x 22 mm piece of paper with a sticky backside is pretty awesome. A stamp is:

• permanent. Once you stick it down, it is hard to peel off.
• powerful. You can’t send the envelope or package without it.
• productive. A stamp moves the written letter, signed contract, or ordered product forward to where it is needed.  

My father has started to write his cards. I know that his heart continues to hurt, but the fact that the card was written in is one thing. The fact he placed a stamp on that card and moved a gesture of gratitude forward… is entirely another thing all together.

Don’t dismiss the awesomeness of that which is small.

 

Life is full of the small and yet profound

 

“And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

~Corinthians 3:18 ESV, emphasis mine

Spiritually speaking, I believe our one degrees with God are small and yet profound. Similar to a stamp, your increasing glory is permanent, powerful, and productive. It is:

• permanent, because God is everlasting. (Psalm 90:2, 93:2)
• powerful, because God is almighty. (Psalm 47:7; Revelation 1:8)
• productive, because God is faithful. (Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)

 

Don’t dismiss the awesomeness of what God is doing in your life today.

God is continually moving you forward to where you are needed.