by David Melton
Like most married couples, Kim and I negotiate about the TV remote. We actually have a lot of fun teasing each other. We even bounced around an idea of co-hosting a call-in radio show where she could take calls about house stuff, shopping, and TLC while I would heckle her callers in the background. Then she would return the favor when somebody called in to talk with me about sports, politics, or history! I still think it would be great fun, so if any of you own a radio station… give us a call!
But back to the TV remote…a current point of uncoordinated interest is a show called Little People Big World. I really can’t even describe it any more than to say Kim finds it “interesting.” It is about an elevationally-challenged family living in the… okay, I’m going to stop because all the words I know to describe their situation are now politically incorrect. And besides, I only watched about two minutes of it with Kim, made a few cracks about what a ridiculous show it was and how we would be much better off watching a PBS documentary, and then I left the room.
But to be honest, I am still thinking about it. Little people, it is a challenge being one. I know. Maybe you are a celebrity, but probably not. I am just a little guy. When I was a lot younger, I think in immaturity I defined spiritual, and good, and desirable as almost synonyms of big, and famous, and widely-noted. I do not confuse those terms so much anymore.
Little moments matter. When one of my Boston students who had been struggling in class gave a great answer to a question in class, I instinctively ran over and gave her a fist pump! No reporters were present, no pictures were taken, not even a tweet. But in my spirit I am not sure that “little” moment was so small after all. Recently another Boston student told me he had given the gospel all by himself for the first time. He was a little ashamed, extremely insecure, feeling spiritually diminutive. I asked him to tell me what he said. I heard an absolutely precious, straight-from-the-heart, unencumbered expression of love for the Savior! A “little” effort? I think not. The only Scorekeeper that matters took note, of that I am certain.
Little people? Are they the ones who do the thankless jobs? You can call them little if you want, but if those “little” folks fail to do those “little” jobs, very little good happens. I have a student at our church that checks the toilet paper in the bathrooms every Sunday morning. I say no more!
Now let me be clear, I am not giving in to my wife’s TV preferences. But I must confess that two minutes with her show provoked me to look at big things in new ways. So that is my “little” article for this month. But please, don’t tell my wife.