A PIECE OF MY HEART...good things come in small packages

Height is not the primary advantage in our family. We come from a line of short people, but my grandma used to always say: "Good things come in small packages." Some great people who were shorter than average in height were Picasso, Charlie Chaplin and Gandhi. Size didn't seem to matter when it came to greatness for these men.

Size did not matter to Jesus when it came to Zacchaeus. We all remember the childhood bible song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he!" Zacchaeus may have been small in size but he had a very big heart:

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus’ invitation to Zacchaeus is also an invitation to us: “Zacchaeus, (put your name here),  hurry up and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” How are we to answer this invitation from Jesus? After all, we are just like Zacchaeus, feeling somewhat small and insignificant and certainly feeling like our lives are up a tree at times, we are constantly looking and searching for answers.

But because Zacchaeus was a believer, he was happy to welcome Jesus into his home. Hospitality is all that Jesus asked of him, but Zacchaeus offers much more:

(verse 9) "The half of my goods I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone, I will pay back four times as much."

Zacchaeus was certainly a wee little man, but a wise man also. He clearly understood what it meant to give BIG! It is my desire to have a heart like Zacchaeus. Daily, I want to invite Jesus into my home, and share with others the blessings that God has bestowed upon me. May I not hide or hoard anything from those who are in need.

It may seem like we only have alittle to offer, but out of small packages come great things! God will pour out His blessings and create much out of nothing, if we will trust and obey Him!

and this has been a piece of my heart today;