Everything begins small. You and I did. Everything does. The mighty oaks began real small as did Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 perhaps better known as the “Ode to Joy.” Organic things grow from tiny seeds. Likewise, great art, architecture as well as incredible inventions, grew from small ideas. Undoubtedly, we have all experienced the power of small things, of small beginnings. Think of a newborn baby, one that perhaps only weighed 850 grams at birth and over the years grew into manhood. Which brings to mind the saying, “The child is the father of the man.” Think of little acorns from which mighty oaks grow. Or, as Ralph Emerson put it, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” These are just a smattering of examples of the small beginnings of so many amazing things. You probably have your own memories of things in your life that had small beginnings and continue to astound you by how they have grown. One might say small things, like seeds, are the anchors for mighty things yet to come.
Then there are those amazing small things that never grow big. The bee, the ant, the flea, to name just a few. Imagine life without those tiny busy bees. You know what I mean, those magical creatures that can shape hexagon honeycombs, can pollinate flowers and turn nectar into sweet honey. Then think of the equally incredible ants, those tiny social creatures that live in organized colonies.
“the seeds that anchor a friendship tend to be mostly invisible”
I have always been fascinated by all things small. Now you might think, “small things amuse small minds.” Be that as it may, all small things are fascinatingly intriguing. Think of friendships, for instance, and how they start, often in unexpected small ways, and can grow into strong, lasting relationships. Unlike tiny seeds we can see with the naked eye, the seeds that anchor a friendship tend to be mostly invisible. When we tend those seeds with love and patience and nurture them carefully they grow and bear fruit. Which raises a question that keeps popping up frequently in my mind of late, “what anchors me, what anchors us, especially during difficult times like this pandemic?” Have you ever questioned what anchors you during difficult times? It would be fascinating to compare notes, I would think. Just think of the relatively small anchor that can “connect a vessel to the bed of the body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current”. (Wikipedia) What are some of those little things, seen and unseen, that anchor us? Who, or what, in our lives is such an anchor when we are in danger of being adrift during these endless weeks of lockdown and precautions?
As impressive as the power of small things is, the power of the Coronavirus, invisible to the naked eye, now that is another story altogether of small things. A deeply frightening story. I am by no means fascinated by this deadly virus. No, it is mindblowing what power this tiny invisible virus has. Talk about the power of small things! How is it this invisible speck of a virus has brought our world to its knees? Literally and figuratively speaking, brought us to our knees. In prayer, in fear and trembling, we have been brought to our knees by the power of this tiny fiend. It has claimed lives by the thousands, brought the economy tumbling down, brought our lives, as we know them, to a screeching halt. The power of small, so very small and invisible, yet so powerful.
“The Parables of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13: 31, NIV)
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.””
In Matthew’s gospel, we read about the power of faith the size of the tiny mustard seed that can move mountains. If we have such faith, we are told, nothing is impossible. We have been on our knees. We have prayed. God has given us this anchor of prayer to prevent us from drifting during these difficult times when something so small and frighteningly powerful threatens to destroy us. Most of us have first-hand experience of the terrifying impact this pandemic has had on our lives either directly or vicariously. Thankfully, though, we know that in him we live and move and have our being, for we are God’s beloved daughters and sons.
-Sr. Magdalena Vogt, cps