Obedient in the small

(written by Kelsey Rae)

Last week Roger Dewey came and spoke about his life and community. He and his wife moved into Dorchester over 30 years ago with the expressed purpose of being an advocate for peace in one of the most violent neighborhoods in Boston, ridden with racial and social strife.

He touched on a lot of topics, but one thing that stood out to me was his trust in starting small. When he learned that some of his neighbors didn't have adequate heat for the winter, he raised some funds with his neighborhood group--Christians for Urban Justice---for fuel and weatherproofing their home. Eventually, more people heard about the outreach and needed heat for their homes, so they were able to raise more money and provide for them too. In the last ten years, there has been a federal backing behind their efforts, so they were able to distribute pamphlets that instruct how to weatherproof homes.

In all of this, I was encouraged by his humility to just help out wherever was needed. He didn't have this huge plan of starting an organization; it just evolved as he took it step by step. It reminded me that the Lord has the big picture in mind, but we just have to be faithful in the small things. He may never lead us to accomplish "great" things--the most important thing is obedience in the small, daily tasks.