"In a Quaker meeting I once pastored, an elderly woman had committed herself to works of mercy. As I got to know her better, I was astounded at the many ways in which she had blessed hurting people. Though her income was modest, she lived simply so she could give generously. Though her many commitments kept her calendar full, she still found time to be present for those who needed comfort. The longer I knew her, the more I marveled at her charity, given the scarcity of her resources. Because of her humility, she was reluctant to talk with others about her own accomplishments. But one day she let slip the principle that guided her life, when she said to me, 'Little is much when God is in it.'
"I have thought of that many times since, appreciating its truth more and more as the years pass. Little does become much when love is present. Love does magnify our works. Jesus knew this. He knew even the smallest gesture of love could transform the darkest situation and so fully committed himself to divine love that we are still awed by his life. Believe me when I tell you this: we can be like him, and like all the other God-bearers our world has known. It is key to the future of our faith.
"Who was Jesus? One whose awareness of the Divine Presence within him was so keen, and his response to the Divine Presence so full, that he was empowered to live and love so powerfully that those who encountered him were often made whole themselves and more fully equipped to say yes to that same Divine Presence that was also in them. We can be like that Jesus. We can be like him when we say yes to the Divine Presence that is also in us, as thoroughly as we are able. As we do that, our lives, and the lives of others, will be transformed. God's joy will be in us, and our joy will be full."
