Small things

"We can do no great things - only small things with great love."

"We must not drift away from the humble works, because these are the works nobody will do.  It is never too small.  We are so small we look at things in a small way.  But God, being Almighty, sees everything great.  Therefore, even if you write a letter for a blind man or you just go and sit and listen, or you take the mail for him, or you visit somebody or bring a flower for somebody - small things - or wash clothes for somebody or clean the house.  Very humble work is where you and I must be.  For there are many people who can do big things.  But there are very few people who will do the small things." - Mother Teresa.

Writing more than this quote seems a little like a waste to me because it is packed with so much meaning and beauty. 

But the irony here is, these words about doing small things is coming from a great woman - a saint.  One of the greatest leaders of our time spoke unfailingly of doing the small things in life with love. 

It is hard to do small things - why?

Sometimes the reason is that we don't seem to be getting much done.  Or the small thing has to be done everyday.

Maybe small things are hard to do because nobody notices, or only notices when they are not done.

Or it could be that small things are hard to do because we want to achieve great things. 

Sometimes spiritual principles don't really add up logically.

Mother Teresa saw herself as a small person doing small things - yet she is seen by the world as a great person doing great things.  Sometimes we look at her and want to drop our own mundane lives and exchange them for a great, purposeful life like hers.  For Mother Teresa, her life was a small life.

Mother Teresa saw these small works as all relating to "the Good God."  Each person she met, each small thing she did, was for Christ.  So everything, even the small things, had a great worth and meaning.

Mother Teresa knew that God noticed everything.  She had a habit of counting off on her fingers, "You did it to Me."