Power in the small things
“If we just worry about the big picture, we are powerless. So my secret is to start right away doing whatever little work I can do. I try to give joy to one person in the morning, and remove the suffering of one person in the afternoon. If you and your friends do not despise the small work, a million people will remove a lot of suffering. That is the secret. Start right now.”
Sister Chän Khöng peace activist, expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist nun
In the vastness of the world with all its problems, violence, tragedy, and war we can feel that we are powerless. It is easy to feel that we couldn’t possibly make a difference, that anything we offer is insignificant.
Yet if we are truly One with each other and One with God, then the small offerings we make in prayer and in loving service to one another will accomplish their purpose. The small things we can do give our lives purpose, meaning, and add to our own internal sense of peace. And each small good thing sends its vibration outward into to the world as well as throughout the Divine matrix that connects us all. Each prayer, each thought, each vibration is significant.
Intentionally joining our voices, prayers, and works of love and compassion together will invite peace into our lives, communities, and indeed into the world. And so we continue to pray our Novena for Peace.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” Helen Keller