How Insignificant?
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle A
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. (vv. 29--31)
I stood in line with my wife to check our bags at the airport in Charleston, South Carolina. We were completing our vacation by beginning the long journey home. We were using frequent flyer miles, so we had layovers in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dallas--Forth Worth before arriving in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The attendant at the U.S. Air counter asked, "What's your final destination?" We replied, "Fort Smith, Arkansas."
She responded, "I think that's a first. I've never sent anyone there." We explained that it was a small airport - only two gates. We didn't tell her, but the airport was so small, our pilot also collected our boarding passes before take--off.
I tried to draw her a mental picture and said, "It's about the same size as the airport in Fayetteville." With the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I thought she would connect.
She responded, "Is that in Arkansas?"
I concluded that Fort Smith and Fayetteville were insignificant in her life. When one lives in Heavener, Oklahoma, Fort Smith is the big city. It has a mall. That makes it big for all the small towns surrounding Fort Smith. It became apparent to me that Fort Smith is not big when you are from New York, L. A., or even Charleston.
We landed in DFW to connect with our little American Eagle prop plane to fly us to Fort Smith. To get to the plane, we had to take a shuttle bus from the terminal to the runway. After they announced our flight, we got on the bus and waited for everyone else to board as well. A few minutes later, a man of gigantic proportions - about seven feet tall - stepped into the bus. He was too tall to stand on the bus. He was hunched over with his head bent down as he put his bags on the luggage rack.
I had immediate visions of our prop plane, which I affectionately called a crop duster. I leaned over to my wife and said, "Man, that guy's going to be in a world of hurt on the plane!"
The giant raised his head to find a seat, and moved to the back of the bus to sit with a woman and a small boy, apparently his family. They were only three seats away, which caused me to say a quick prayer that my previous comment was not overheard. A gentleman in between the giant and me shook hands with the giant. His hand appeared miniaturized in the process. He said something like, "I enjoy your work." The giant nodded without really saying anything.
Suddenly, it clicked with me. The big guy on the shuttle bus was Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, the starting center for the Vancouver Grizzlies. An NBA star was one of 35 people flying on my prop plane to little insignificant Fort Smith, Arkansas. Why? Because he grew up in tinier and even more insignificant Gans, Oklahoma. He was going home to see his parents.
At the beginning of the day, Fort Smith was put in perspective for me. Small. Insignificant. At the end of the day, that perspective was reversed. Fort Smith was a key element in getting "Big Country" home. Like beauty, importance is in the eye of the beholder.
It was a reminder that even when we start feeling small and unimportant in life, we are still significant and important to God. God knows everything about us, including the hairs on our head. No one is insignificant no matter what others may say. In God's eyes, we have great worth.
I stood in line with my wife to check our bags at the airport in Charleston, South Carolina. We were completing our vacation by beginning the long journey home. We were using frequent flyer miles, so we had layovers in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dallas--Forth Worth before arriving in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The attendant at the U.S. Air counter asked, "What's your final destination?" We replied, "Fort Smith, Arkansas."
She responded, "I think that's a first. I've never sent anyone there." We explained that it was a small airport - only two gates. We didn't tell her, but the airport was so small, our pilot also collected our boarding passes before take--off.
I tried to draw her a mental picture and said, "It's about the same size as the airport in Fayetteville." With the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I thought she would connect.
She responded, "Is that in Arkansas?"
I concluded that Fort Smith and Fayetteville were insignificant in her life. When one lives in Heavener, Oklahoma, Fort Smith is the big city. It has a mall. That makes it big for all the small towns surrounding Fort Smith. It became apparent to me that Fort Smith is not big when you are from New York, L. A., or even Charleston.
We landed in DFW to connect with our little American Eagle prop plane to fly us to Fort Smith. To get to the plane, we had to take a shuttle bus from the terminal to the runway. After they announced our flight, we got on the bus and waited for everyone else to board as well. A few minutes later, a man of gigantic proportions - about seven feet tall - stepped into the bus. He was too tall to stand on the bus. He was hunched over with his head bent down as he put his bags on the luggage rack.
I had immediate visions of our prop plane, which I affectionately called a crop duster. I leaned over to my wife and said, "Man, that guy's going to be in a world of hurt on the plane!"
The giant raised his head to find a seat, and moved to the back of the bus to sit with a woman and a small boy, apparently his family. They were only three seats away, which caused me to say a quick prayer that my previous comment was not overheard. A gentleman in between the giant and me shook hands with the giant. His hand appeared miniaturized in the process. He said something like, "I enjoy your work." The giant nodded without really saying anything.
Suddenly, it clicked with me. The big guy on the shuttle bus was Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, the starting center for the Vancouver Grizzlies. An NBA star was one of 35 people flying on my prop plane to little insignificant Fort Smith, Arkansas. Why? Because he grew up in tinier and even more insignificant Gans, Oklahoma. He was going home to see his parents.
At the beginning of the day, Fort Smith was put in perspective for me. Small. Insignificant. At the end of the day, that perspective was reversed. Fort Smith was a key element in getting "Big Country" home. Like beauty, importance is in the eye of the beholder.
It was a reminder that even when we start feeling small and unimportant in life, we are still significant and important to God. God knows everything about us, including the hairs on our head. No one is insignificant no matter what others may say. In God's eyes, we have great worth.
