WHEN LITTLE THINGS BECOME BIG THINGS
“Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”
Song of Solomon 2:15
Most of us know to watch for the big things.
We recognize that certain sins can destroy a testimony, damage a marriage, divide a family, or ruin a life. Because the consequences are so obvious, we put up guards against them.
But sometimes the greatest damage does not begin with something big.
Sometimes it begins with something very small.
Song of Solomon 2:15 speaks about:
“...the little foxes, that spoil the vines...”
The foxes were small, but the damage they could do was not.
A little fox could slip into the vineyard almost unnoticed. It could damage the tender vines, destroy the developing grapes, and ruin what had taken months of careful work to produce.
There is a spiritual lesson in those little foxes.
Little things have a way of becoming big things when they are left unattended.
A little bitterness.
A little compromise.
A little dishonesty.
A little jealousy.
A little neglect of prayer.
A little less time in God's Word.
A little attitude that we know is not right.
A little habit that we keep telling ourselves we can stop whenever we want.
At first, none of these things may seem particularly dangerous.
But little foxes grow.
A Little Neglect Can Become a Great Distance
No Christian wakes up one morning and suddenly decides, “I think I'll get as far away from God as I possibly can.”
Usually it happens gradually.
We miss our Bible reading one day.
Then another.
Prayer becomes hurried.
Church attendance becomes less important.
Things that once bothered our conscience don't seem quite as serious anymore.
And before long, we wonder why God seems so far away.
But God didn't move.
We drifted.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us:
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
Drifting happens slowly.
That is what makes it dangerous.
A Little Bitterness Can Become a Great Burden
Someone hurts us.
At first, perhaps it is only a small offense. But instead of dealing with it biblically, we rehearse it.
We think about what they said.
We tell someone else what they did.
We replay the conversation.
We begin interpreting everything that person does through the lens of that hurt.
Before long, a small offense has developed roots.
Hebrews 12:15 warns of:
“...a root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”
Notice that bitterness does not only hurt the person who carries it.
It spreads.
One little root can eventually affect an entire family, friendship, or church.
Deal with the little fox while it is still little.
A Little Compromise Can Become a Great Fall
The devil rarely begins by asking a Christian to abandon everything he believes.
He usually starts much smaller.
“Just this once.”
“It's really not that serious.”
“Everybody does it.”
“No one will ever know.”
One compromise makes the next compromise easier.
Samson did not lose his strength the first time he moved toward the wrong things. His downfall developed through a series of choices until eventually he discovered something tragic:
“...he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”
Judges 16:20
What began with small compromises ended in great tragedy.
Sin seldom advertises where it intends to take us.
A Little Word Can Cause Great Damage
James compares the tongue to a small fire:
“Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”
James 3:5
A sentence may take only seconds to speak.
The consequences may last for years.
A careless comment can wound a child.
Gossip can destroy someone's reputation.
An angry word can damage a marriage.
One accusation can divide friends.
And once words leave our mouths, we cannot call them back.
Before we speak, it would do us good to ask:
Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Will it help? Will it honor Christ?
Little Things Can Work for Good Too
Thankfully, this principle works both ways.
Little things do not only produce destruction.
Small acts of faithfulness can produce tremendous blessings.
A few minutes in prayer every morning.
A chapter of Scripture every day.
A word of encouragement.
A telephone call to someone who is lonely.
A small act of kindness.
A faithful testimony.
A quiet decision to obey God.
Jesus said:
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much...”
Luke 16:10
We sometimes wait for an opportunity to do something great for God while overlooking the small things He has already placed before us.
But great Christian lives are usually built through small acts of faithfulness repeated day after day.
So take a look at your vineyard.
Is there a little fox running around?
Something you have excused because it seems insignificant?
Something God has been dealing with you about?
Don't wait until the damage becomes obvious.
Deal with it now.
Confess what needs to be confessed.
Forgive what needs to be forgiven.
Stop what needs to be stopped.
Begin what needs to be begun.
Because today's little compromise can become tomorrow's great problem.
But today's little act of obedience can also become tomorrow's great blessing.
Never underestimate the little things.