Have you ever stopped to think about how one seemingly small decision affected the rest of your life?  We know that small decisions build on each other to determine our outcomes, and sometimes we can actually point to one small decision that was the hinge on which a big door of opportunity swung.  Something that happened recently reminded dear Husband and me of a small, but pivotal decision we made 14 years ago that opened the door to a treasure room of friendships.  And we almost missed it!

How an older couple came to meet and cherish young students from another country is a tale only God could have dreamed up. We were living at that time outside a city with a fairly large university.   A young man who ministered to international students on that campus informed us that 85% of foreign students never visit an American’s home.  Yikes!  What?!  Well, we can do our part to invite some students to our home. So we volunteered and got assigned to a 40-year-old male student from the Asian country we had lived in previously.  On the fateful day that we were to meet the man, we had hesitations.  Would it be awkward for me to spend time alone with a grown man while I helped him acclimate to America?  Husband and I were enjoying fellowship around the dinner table in a friend’s home that day with another couple.  We needed to excuse ourselves early and head to the appointed meeting place.  But we didn’t want to leave.  We loved eating and then praying with our friends.  We weren’t excited about the prospect of caring for an adult single man.  Maybe we could just not go.  But our desire to do what we committed to won out and we dutifully kept our promise.  However, the man himself didn’t show up to the meeting!  To our delight we were assigned instead two sweet young girls from another Asian country.  Instantly, the four of us felt a strong bond.  In our hearts, we recognized the hand of God in this and we were happy, surprised, and excited.  In the months and years that followed, we loved spending time with ‘our’ students.  And in a short time, other students found their way into our hearts and home.  From that small obedience to simply show up and do what we promised came 14 years and counting of precious friendships.

This past weekend four of those students gave us a priceless gift for our 50^th anniversary.  It was the gift of time spent together.  These students are married and all have young children and very demanding jobs. One couple had to fly in from Texas with a little one, and another was in the midst of unpacking from a major move.  They could have been doing many other things but they chose to carve out a weekend to renew friendships that started 14 years ago when they were graduate students new to the US.  The original two weren’t able to come to this reunion because one is living in a locked-down location and the other lives in Spain.  But we were able to FaceTime (or its equivalent) with both of them in spite of wildly different time zones.  We hadn’t seen one of the girls for ten years and the tears flowed.  All weekend we felt rich in friendships.  And all because of a small obedience to do the right thing on a certain day fourteen years ago.

The organizer of the weekend wrote to us afterward in his always kind manner.  “It is my pleasure to organize this amazing event!  It is so special – last time when we gathered, we were all students.  And now we all bring families with kids.  The bond continues to the next generation.”

Small decisions hour by hour determine the course of our lives.

When ‘Yes’ to God is our default response in big and small decisions, he will take us step by step in closeness with him toward accomplishing his purposes in the world and making us the best versions of ourselves.  Each small obedience brings his Kingdom to earth in that moment.  When we submit to him, he rules in us and his kingdom spreads out from us.  His love, his peace, his order, his patience, his strength, his knowledge and wisdom, his justice, his purity, his mercy flow into us and from us to others.  As Jesus taught us to pray, “May your kingdom come.  May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  

So how do we know what his will is so we can do it and bring his kingdom to earth?

By studying his Word.  “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  Psalm 119:11

By listening to the Holy Spirit given to those who believe.  “But when the Father sends the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”  John 14:26

By obeying the Holy Spirit given to those who believe.   “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.” Ephesians 4:30 

By habitually doing what’s right, he will bring us along into more truth. “For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  Hebrews 5:14

It’s the little things.  How you spend the next five minutes.  What thoughts you allow in your head.  How you react when provoked.  Whether you choose to serve a family member when you’re tired.  How you spend that small amount of money that won’t be missed.  What you eat for a snack.  Whether you take time to thank someone.  What time you go to bed. How much social media time today. What entertainment you watch.  Whether you cook a healthy meal.  Whether you worry or pray.  Whether you’re forthright or you hedge with your spouse today.  As Husband remarked, “Choosing to brush your teeth every day is a small thing, but it brings big rewards.”  You never know which small obedience will bring blessing for the rest of your life beyond what you could imagine!