Yes, please sweat the small stuff
: do not underestimate the bigness of small things | a Christmas gift for you | 3/24 new drawings
HopeMail #127 | Sharing one new drawing and writing about life, twice a month on Fridays. 24 new drawings in a year. This issue is 3/24 new drawings. If a friend shared this with you, and you'd like to subscribe, c'mon in.
Thank you to those who shared your comment on the previous post and also those who emailed me. I enjoyed hearing from the different ones of you. And waving to the new readers who joined in the last two weeks. Glad to have you here.
Seven | Line Drawing
These seven people are the pioneer members of my paid subscription. And I also have people who supported me with an ad-hoc donation. Some might say, seven is not a big number. But what these people did is big in my heart! Thank you!
On 15 October 2021, with deep breaths and lots of prayers, I pushed the button and launched HopeMail paid subscription and donation.
Making the leap to launch, I had to push aside a few things:
I don’t have a big number of readers. The conventional norm is, to have paid subscriptions, a creator/writer has to have enough readers, usually close to a thousand and more. I had 106 then. A small number. (By the way, it’s also common to shy away from making that small number publicly known.)
I’m not offering bigger and more contents with the paid subscription. I’m offering the intent of my work and a demonstration of that intent through what I’ve written over time.
Ultimately, I had to push aside this notion—small is less.
Some of us do that, don’t we?
We see small as less. Less effective, less powerful, less impactful.
What impact can this small act of kindness have?
What impact can this small habit have?
What impact can this small amount of money have?
What impact can this small article have?
I have been conditioned by culture, society, and the media to equate “great things” as big.
Yet, I only need to look at the Bible to know what the world is feeding me ain’t true. If we look at the incarnation of Jesus, God became flesh in the form of a small, helpless baby. Born in a manger, without the fanfare expected of a God1.
There are also records of miracles such as Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people starting with only five loaves of bread and two fish2. And the parable of the mustard seed3. A tiny seed when it is sown, but it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.
Whenever I’m tempted to fall into the thinking of “small is less”, I’m reminded to fall back on the truth that “little is much when God is in it.4”
That piece of article to 123 subscribers might speak to someone who needs it at the right time.
That small act of kindness might be the light that someone needs.
That small amount of money I have to give is what I need to cultivate the habit [and the heart] of generosity.
Do not underestimate the bigness of small things.
💭 Is there any area where you are “thinking small”?
🎧 🎄While drawing this issue’s artwork, I'm listening to…
Silent Night, sung by Josh Groban. From his album, Noël recorded in 2007 with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Magdalen College Choir.
Listen on: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube
"Silent Night" lyrics
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and Child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of grace
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and Child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
written in 1818 by Josef Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber
Did you know the history of the carol, Silent Night?
Declared to be a cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011, Silent Night was created by two men of humble origins. Josef Mohr, born unloved in his hometown, Salzburg, as an illegitimate son. He later became a pastor. And Franz Xaver Gruber, a schoolteacher, who later became an organist at Old Saint Nicholas Church. Both of them became friends.
| Excerpted from the article on The Gospel Coalition: Silent Night—or Stille Nacht in the original German—was created because Mohr needed a carol for worship. On Christmas Eve of 1818, Mohr visited Gruber with a poem he had written a few years earlier. Gruber quickly arranged the song to be played on a guitar with a choir because the church organ was broken. That evening at Midnight Mass, Gruber strapped on his guitar and led the congregation at St. Nicholas in the first rendition of Silent Night. |
Silent Night became one of the most popular Christmas carols.
Little is much when God is in it.
An invitation for you
The HopeMail newsletter with its drawings and also other projects are available free for anyone. Those who support my work with a subscription or donation—help to keep it free, and empowers me as an independent creator to continue using my art—word and drawing to reach out to people.
I’ve been going through a challenging period recently. Your previous HopeMail really spoke to me and I can see God’s timing in that also. - John
Intriguing piece of art offering a different perspective of the sun, especially to see it without any colours added to it but excellent shades to represent them. It gave me the opportunity to envision it and made me think of its different components—the light, the ray, the warmth... all this on a rainy Friday evening. The story of Jessie, had every component of the sun. It's inspiring how we as humans can choose to let our light and love shine in toughest of moments. Keep writing and drawing Melinda, your writing inspired me to let my light shine in all I do too. - Anne C
How do monthly subscription work?
You can support my work with a monthly $5 (or an amount you like). You can manage your subscription payments if things change on your end. You can increase, decrease, and pause your payment at any time, so you’re not stuck in any kind of contract.
Thank you for your subscription and donation to help reach even more people with HopeMail.
Further reading
One Person at a Time. The Leadership Genius of Mother Teresa
Excerpt: then one of my colleagues asked the question. Before we visited Mother House, we had spent the morning struggling to come up with a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) for our team, so my colleague asked Sister Prema if Mother Teresa "had set any big, audacious goals, like eliminating poverty."
Sister Prema responded:
"Oh no. Mother Teresa was completely focused on helping one person at a time."
One person at a time?! Wait, let me get this straight... Mother Teresa had dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor in a city (present-day, Kolkatta, India) that had millions of people living in the most extreme poverty imaginable, and her goal was to help just one person at a time?
To a group of government managers who were accustomed to thinking in terms of big programs, Mother Teresa's approach didn't sound very efficient.
“There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.” - Mother Teresa
💭 What are the small things you are doing that you can give thanks for?
🎁 A Christmas gift for you
If you like the drawing, Tis The Reason For Christmas, I did a free phone wallpaper version for you. Go ahead and share it with others too.
That’s all for now, folks. Thank you for reading. As always, feel free to write to me or leave a comment. Take care!
💖 Melinda
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah). And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find a Baby wrapped in [swaddling] cloths and lying in a manger.” Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.” Luke 2:6-14
From the Bible Matthew 14:13-21
From the Bible Mark 4:30-32
From the article Feeding the 5000 on the website Got Questions.
Melinda, THIS POST is such sweet, tender medicine!!!! I needed it sorely in this moment, and VOILA. What a balm. THANK YOU!!! xxxo