All the little things

One weekend I had a few lessons on how to prune fruit trees by a qualified and highly experienced arborist. Of all the things I learned, one in particular stood out to me. He said, “Do a little, a lot. It’s better for the tree.” When I asked what that meant, he said, “It’s better to do just a little, often, rather than leave off pruning for years only to have to prune much harder. This stresses the tree more and can result in poorer outcomes.” This became obvious as we began pruning our apple tree; it hadn’t been done in many a year, and we had to prune so much out of it. We were warned it might not produce much fruit this year because of it.

I thought about this over the following days, and I realised that this principle is all around us. For example, trying to get fit – you’ll get better, more lasting results if you exercise a little and often, than doing one big marathon once a year. Every day exercise, including incidental exercise, builds up over time.

The same can apply to finances. An accountant once said to us, “watch the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.” In other words, if you’re careful with the small amounts, the overall picture will be one of success.

It’s the same story with living our lives for God. We need to do a little, a lot to maintain our spiritual fitness. It’s why God’s laws permeate every area of our lives – for each little moment adds up to a lifetime of guidance and growth.

Jesus reflected on the importance of the little things when he said, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matt 5:18, NIV). He knew that attention to detail was paramount. Not just to fulfil the law, but to correctly and wholly complete the beautiful symbolism that runs through every line of the law.

If we want to make changes, if we want to continue to grow, if we want to succeed, we need to do a little, a lot.