Diary Of A Growing Christian: Like A Grain Of Rice

On Sunday, I was given the opportunity to speak shortly during the workers’ prayer meeting and I shared something the Holy Spirit laid in my heart in September. 

You see, I’m one to love really hard so when I get hurt by those I love, it’s hard too. But above that, I seem to have gotten this sense of entitlement going on that I needed to handle. 

The Holy Spirit took me through a whole conversation of how insignificant I am so I had to fix up and cease from demanding from others by the measure of what I CHOSE to give. 

Between June and August, I was in Kaduna for a training where my class paid a visit to the company in charge of the Nigerian Communication Satellite. (Yeeup! Nigeria does have a satellite in space).

Anyway, the facilitator shared something profound in his introductory speech and that was what the Holy Spirit brought back to my memory. 

Here is a summary of what he shared;

“There are approximately 7 billion people on Earth as we know it; however, Earth is only one of the eight planets that make up the Milky Way Galaxy. According to the data culled by space science and technology community, there are about 200 other galaxies in the world as we know it today. “

Then he asked us a rhetorical question, which I phrased in my own words:

“Hope that clears up for you how significant you are in the scheme of things?”

That question was lost on almost everyone because the man went right on to give his presentation after that. 

However as I struggled with another situation that revealed how entitled I had gotten and how much energy I spent on the unnecessary stuff, that question came back to mind.

This time, the Holy Spirit explained it to me in a practical way comparing me (who is 1 of 7 billion people) to a single grain in a bag of rice.

H.S helped me imagine myself as a grain of rice in a bag of rice; and this bag of rice is chilling with seven other bags of rice; then He asked me to picture these eight bags of rice in 200 other places while ensuring that I never forget that I am just a single grain of rice in this big picture. 

That analogy, the picture which is still so vivid in my mind’s eye as I typed this post, upset me more than a little bit; so I asked the Holy Spirit;

 “Does this mean I do not matter?” 

Really?!”

He replied and said to me,

“That’s because you are looking at it from the human perspective and from that perspective…errr…you are truly a grain in a sack of rice”

My eyes teared up at this realization because it meant that I was holding on to hurts, grudges, baggage which were all draining and stressing me to the point that I couldn’t have been as productive as I could have been…and it was all for nothing?

*Inserts deep sigh*

This knowledge hurt A WHOLE LOT!

 The Holy Spirit continued in His response by bringing Luke 12: 6 – 7 to mind;

“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten by God?

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows”

Then He told me how in spite of how seemingly insignificant a grain of rice may be in a bag of rice, He still knows me by my name, He cares for me and loves me. 

Can you beat that?

The same thing that caused me to be humbled is the same thing that caused so much joy to my heart, merely by considering it from a different perspective. 

Even though, I may be just one out of approximately 50 billion creatures in the world (if we include all the other galaxies), God still considers me important.

That knowledge cured me of my feeling of entitlement in the same minute it caused a deep sense of gratitude to settle in my heart.

Wouldn’t it be more profitable to me then to chase after the God of all the whole universe than to look for temporal fulfillment in the acknowledgment of humans?

Think on this as you go on this week, would you?