It's the Little Things That Make the Difference

I'm finding that sometimes, as Americans, we have a tendancy to overlook many of the moments in our lives that can be the most fulfilling. We hustle here and there, try to cram more and more in to our work days and yet miss so much...

This time I'm spending in Afghanistan seems to have heightened my awareness level of some of those moments. Moments that I just plain do not seem to see back home. Those moments when you kinda sit back and say, "Wow, what did I just witness?!"

There are a couple of those "little things" I've witnessed recently that I'd like to share with you in this posting. I pray that perhaps in reading them, you may find yourself seeking to to be more aware of those special moments that God puts in our lives...and to be willing to be a witness to His love in return.

The first instance is one that I will not forget anytime soon. It happened one morning in our office at work. Our Afghan receptionist, Farzana, has a sweet tooth (much like the rest of us in the engineering office I might add!). She loves it when we bring in pastries or cookies from one of the local bakeries, or better yet - when we get homemade goodies from home. It just so happens that the counter where we place them is right next to my desk. When she comes in for here tea, I always make sure to offer her some pastries.

I'm guessing that Farzana is in her early twenties, the same age as my daughters, and I know she not only works in our office, but is also taking college courses. She is a somewhat quiet and reserved, as is the custom in this culture, but recently she has started to feel comfortable enough to have short conversations with me as she chooses her morning sweets from the box next to my desk.

On this particular morning as she came in, before she poured her tea, I asked her if she liked hot cocoa or hot chocolate. She replied that she didn't know - because she had never had any before. After I got over the bit of a shock at her statement, I told her if she would like to try it, we had some that had been shipped over from America. After a moment, she said she would.

I showed her how to rip open the packet, pour in the hot water and stir it. Then I asked her if she wanted some marshmallows to put in it. She looked at me, with her head slightly tilted and asked, "What are marshmallows?". I had to think a moment because the question really caught me off guard - how do you explain to sometime what marshmallows are?!

So, I told her they were soft, very sweet like sugar and they floated and melted on the top of hot chocolate. Her eyes got big and she said, "Really? Yes, I'd like to try some please." I told her to help herself to the bag. As she put some in (they were the miniature ones), she asked "How many?", to which I replied, "As many of you wish." She once again gave me a look of astonishment and replied, "Really?" and I just shook my head 'yes' with a huge grin on my face.

When she finished preparing it, she lifted it and took just a small sip. As she tasted it, she started to smile, then broke into a broader smile and then she looked right at me with eyes that sparkled and shined. She said, in a slow clear voice, "This is wonderful, thank you so much !!!".

Brothers and sisters, it's the little things that make the difference...

The other moment I want to share is even more meaningful to me. This moment involved Rios. Rios also works in our office. He is a cleaner and maintenance person. I don't know what his salary is, but I do know that he is not paid much nor is it even near what he is worth. He is a small young man, but works tirelessly. Rios has been learning English and has prided himself in being able to converse with us as he learned more and more.

Conversely, several of us in the office have been trying to learn some basic conversational phrases in Dari, so we can share more with many of our Afghan staff in their native tongue. As Rios shares with us some of his English skills as he goes about his chores, several of us have asked him to also give us the Dari translation so we could learn too.

Not only did he agree to, but if you looked at his face closely you could see a transformation in it. He relished the thought that we valued him enough to ask for his help. So, each morning as he comes in to prepare our coffee, sweep the floors, empty wastebaskets - he never fails to greet us first in English, and then in Dari - and immediately helps us with our pronunciation as we struggle with the appropriate reply. And all the time - with a huge wide grin on his face.

Then, a week or so ago, I had a thought come to me. (Yes, it does happen occasionally!) Since we want to learn more Dari and Rios is always helping us with it, why not ask him to teach us formally as a group? Several of us discussed it and agreed it was a great idea - and that each of us would pay him a nominal fee for his time. I volunteered to speak with him to make the proposal and the offer.

So I stopped him one day and said I'd like to speak with him about something. We set a time near the end of the work day, as he was getting ready to leave. When the appointed time arrived, we sat on a couch in the lobby and I told him of our proposal and that we wanted to pay him for his time.

The look on his face and in his eyes I will never forget. After a moment, he said he would like to help us but he was not a teacher. I told him we didn't want a teacher, we wanted him to continue to teach us just as he was doing everyday - only as a group, at a table together.

Then he said that he couldn't take our money to do it. I told him that his time was valuable and we wanted to pay him. I also told him that the group agreed if he would not take the money, then we would not go forward with the class. He protested one more time that the money was too much, but I would not back down.

Then I saw the tears well up in his eyes as he told me, "I am so honored that you have asked me to do this thing. I am forever grateful to you." As I fought back the lump in my own throat (and my own tears), I replied, "The honor is ours my friend."

Brothers and sisters, it's the little things that make the difference....

As children of God, we are all called to make a difference in this world. You don't need to come to Afghanistan to make a difference in someone's life. You can do it right in your own home, at your workplace, at your church, at the supermarket...the list could go one forever. It is just a matter of being open to God's love and being more aware of the opportunities He gives you to share it with others.

So, I'd like to challenge you. I challenge you to seek out just one opportunity to make a meaningful difference on someone's life today. And then do it again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that - until it becomes part of who you are.

Brothers and sisters, it really is the little things that make the difference...

Pastor Russ