The Little Things

Tom Moore

A few years ago, a Thanksgiving Day editorial in the newspaper told of a school teacher who asked her first graders to draw a picture of something they thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. But she knew that most of them would draw pictures of turkeys on tables of food. The teacher was taken back with the picture Douglas handed in… a simple childishly drawn hand.

But whose hand? This class was captivated by the abstract image. "I think is must be the hand of God that brings us food," said one child. "A farmer," said another, "because he grows the turkeys." Finally when the others were back at work the teacher bent over Douglas's desk and asked whose hand it was. "It's your hand, Teacher," he mumbled.

She recalled that frequently at recess she had taken Douglas, a scrubby, deserted child, by the hand. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. Out of all the things he could he been thankful for thanksgiving, he was most thankful for his teacher's hand!

Sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference in the life of others. Jesus said, "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Mt. 10:42). You see, sometimes the little things can make a very favorable impact in the life of others. It has been said, "People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care." We can show others how much we care by doing the little things that make a difference.