Into Africa: God of the Small Things

One of the peaceful views at
Kaazmein Lodge

I must confess that I have, on occasion, judged a book by its cover. More to the point, I have chosen a book based solely on its cover. It could be the cover art that intrigues me, or the author’s name—one that I’ve read or one that I’ve read about, or—often—the title. My students will tell you that I like titles. Clever titles. Thought-provoking titles. Inviting titles. Whenever they write, I want them to give their work a title. And I don’t want that title to be anything remotely close to “Reflective Essay” or “Essay on Thomas More.” I want them to think it over. Consider the content of their essay. And then find a way to express that content in a few succinct and inviting words. Here’s a secret: If it’s a good title, chances are good it will be a good essay. Not always, but quite often. A writer who produces a good thoughtful title has likely produced a good thoughtful essay.

Children at VBS

So. I like interesting, clever, intriguing titles. Which is why I bought a book once based solely on its title: God of the Small Things. The intriguing thing was that it was in the fiction section, not the theology or inspirational section. It was an imaginative book set in India about how the small things in life affect people's behavior and their lives. To be honest, I don’t remember much else about it. I remember I thought it was good. It won the Booker Award after all.

I remember that it kept me reading and thinking. But really, nothing else. And I’m OK with that because the author gave me something far more important to remember and that is our God is a God of the small things. He’s there for us in the big moments, but He’s also there in the smaller, more frequent, more ordinary moments of our lives.

Woman and baby at a village clinic

I’ve been thinking about that book title quite a bit on this trip. We have seen our share of examples of this God of the small things throughout our trip. Yes, we have had big answers to prayer: our safe, if long, journey from Thunderbird to Kaazmein Lodge. Chaplain Rob finding his room keys that he lost in town. No one being dangerously hurt or ill (although there have been moments with nausea and other gastrointestinal discomforts). But we have also had answers to smaller things—things that, in the great scheme of life, are pinpoints amidst boulders. Things like getting once-in-a-lifetime photos and videos back days after a power surge took them out, finding lost cameras, being able to pull something out of a sink drain that would have cost hundreds of dollars to replace. Big-but-small things when put in perspective, especially with the life we are observing here in Livingstone and its surroundings.

Using the GoPro in a bush village

Relaxing under the trees in the bush

The incident with the photos happened early in the trip. Early enough so the footage was the first that had been shot of things that would not happen again (as opposed to job site footage that would have a few more days for a reshoot). Disappointment was huge. I could see it on the photographer’s face. I prayed for a miracle. “We need a miracle,” I told God. I wanted that disappointed face to relax into a smile acknowledging that God was indeed God of the small things such as those photos, but also the of the big things such as the entire direction of his life. For three days I prayed for this small-but-great thing. And on the third day, the answer came and the photos were restored.

Dr. Daluyen (Mrs. Morada's sister) brings
comfort at the bush village clinic

I don’t know what the small things are in your life. I am sure there are many as you go through any given day. Individually, they might not be a big deal, but add them together, they become a great weight that is difficult for us to handle. If you give them to God one at a time they never become a burden—to you or to Him. Great or small, God can handle them all. Yours. Mine. Ours. I love that God is indeed God of the small things. I love that we are discovering His amazing love in concrete and specific ways on this trip. I pray that when the planes touch down in Phoenix Monday evening, we will continue to give Him our needs and concerns, but great and small.