Daniel and I enjoy playing a game to help him learn the meaning of new words. One of our recent favorites, superfluous, is fun to say over and over. Now, I will use our new word in a sentence. Since experienced writers advocate the importance of blocking off time to write, I tried remove everything superfluous to protect a few hours of my time for this endeavor. After all, to focus on one goal, other priorities have to take a back burner. However, after several interruptions and reading 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 in The Message, my eyes were opened.

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy, but don’t love, I am nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love I am nothing…So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

After letting those words sink in, God enabled me to view the priorities of my day differently. As much as I enjoy it, writing is a superfluous task for me. It is the daily acts of love that are the essence of my life. Whether calling a friend, encouraging a teacher, writing a note to my sweet husband, or making a snack for Daniel, these small unnoticed acts of kindness are not extras but essentials. Jesus is the cornerstone of my life, but each act of love in His name is a building block.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. Mother Teresa