Friday evening my hubby informed me that the furnace would not work any longer. He thought the problem might be the thermocouple. (That’s the thingamajig that is like a temperature control in your furnace to keep you safe.) Of course, this had to happen when it just turned cold! Although hubby’s been back to work for months, we still have not cleared up all the debt incurred during his long lay off, and I prayed that this furnace issue would be resolved relatively inexpensively, but first I though we ought to try cleaning it out as it is older and a boiler system. Though it was nearly impossible to reach the thermocouple area, I did my best to clean it too, all to no effect.
As far as I could see, it was an exposed piece of metal that is only about 1 ½ in. long and less than 1/8 in. wide, and I thought to myself, how can this little bitty thing shut down this whole system? Oh, and what discomfort it caused as we had to bundle up for the weekend until the repair man showed up on Sunday. Hubby even had to miss church
Two things come to mind when I think of this little part and the trouble it caused us. One is that a bad part, even if it is small, can spoil much more than its own size. So a little leaven (sin) can leaven the whole lump (defile the whole person) (1Cor. 5:6). Also, the tongue which is only a little part of the body, if it goes bad (gossip, envious words) can cause big problems everywhere (Jm. 3:5,6). I’m sure we all recognize these things, so I’ll not dwell on them any longer. I’d like to continue writing on the positive side of the issue.
There are a lot of people who don’t see the value in the things they do or in who they are. They feel like a little fish in a big pond, and no one would miss them if they were gone. They feel unremarkable, like anyone could take their place, and maybe even their looks are not outstanding. Well, as for looks, even Jesus Christ did not stand out (Is. 53:2), and yet He most certainly changed the world in a big way- forever!
That little thermocouple in our furnace keeps us safe from gas pouring out into our house and potentially causing an explosion. So the prayer of one person could keep a church split, a disease, a mental breakdown etc. from happening to someone. As for perceived size, just consider the hundreds of children who are making big differences all over the world (you can search them online). That meal to that starving woman is no small thing! We are all unique and no one can take our place without something important being lost.
He sent a big part of Himself- His Son Jesus - down to us in a human body that suffered the troubles all humans do, watched as He grew and was persecuted, watched as He was tortured and killed, and watched as His Son’s blood poured out on the ground for our salvation even "while we were yet sinners" (Rom. 5:8). Would God do that for someone who was not precious to Him? If we say we are not valuable, than we say the blood of Jesus was worthless, and that God is stupid for making us. Dare we say that? If God considered us important enough to do all He did for us in the work of salvation, than we are valuable in His eyes, and therefore, logically, important to this world.
So maybe we are just a little thermocouple in this life, barely able to be seen, hiding behind a lot of metal, looking small and insignificant in the bigger picture. The reality may just be that we change the world by changing one person’s life without even knowing it. God can do that in us, if we let Him.
Thank You Lord for considering us worth the life of Your Son!!!
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand…
Ps. 139:17,18