The Blessing of “Too Small”

When God is Building Our Trust

Sometimes I think we miss the biggest miracles because we dismiss them as “too small.”
*A quiet answer to prayer.
*An unexpected word of encouragement.
*A door that opens just a crack when we’ve been praying for a wide, grand entrance.

We live in a world that celebrates the big, the flashy, and the immediate. But God often works in ways that seem small to us—so small that we might even overlook them. Yet, Scripture tells us that God delights in beginnings, in seeds, in little moments that hold the potential for something much greater.

When “Small” Feels Insignificant

If I’m honest, I’ve had days when I’ve looked at my efforts for the Lord and thought, Is this even making a difference? I’ve prayed for big change, big breakthroughs, and big healing—and then received something that felt… small.

It’s easy to get discouraged in those moments. We want the answer now, in full, wrapped in a way that leaves no doubt God has moved. But often, God’s work starts in ways that require trust, patience, and a long view.

Think about the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31–32 (NIV):

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

The mustard seed doesn’t look like much at first. But hidden inside is everything it needs to grow into something beyond what we could imagine. God’s plans often begin that way—with something small that will one day provide shade, shelter, and beautiful blessings.

Giving Thanks Before It Grows

The challenge for us is to give thanks before the seed has grown, before the small thing has turned into something big.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) instructs us,

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

That includes the circumstances that don’t make sense yet, the ones that feel incomplete, and the ones that seem far smaller than what we hoped for.

Giving thanks for the “too small” is an act of faith. It’s saying, “Lord, I trust that You know what You’re doing, even if this doesn’t feel like enough right now.” It’s believing that God’s “small” is never actually small.

God’s Bigger Plan Behind the Small

Sometimes God answers in small ways because He is building our trust. Other times, it’s because the small answer is actually the perfect size for right now. And sometimes, it’s because He knows that if we got the big thing all at once, we wouldn’t be ready to handle it.

Think about how a tree grows. You can’t rush it. You can’t make it skip from seed to full-grown overnight. Every ring in its trunk tells a story—times of rain, periods of drought, storms weathered, and sunny days. Without each season, the tree would not be strong enough to stand.

God often does the same in our lives. He gives us blessings in steps, letting our faith, patience, and character grow strong enough to support what’s coming.

Learning to See Differently

Part of walking with God is learning to see through His eyes. Where we see a small answer, He sees a seed. Where we see a delay, He sees preparation. Where we see an ending, He sees a beginning.

When we choose to thank Him for the small, something shifts inside us. Gratitude changes the way we see. It moves our hearts from frustration to faith, from disappointment to expectation.

I’m trying to make it a practice to pause when I receive a “small” answer to prayer and say, Thank You, Lord. I trust that this is right for me. Sometimes I still wrestle with wanting more, but I’ve learned that gratitude opens my eyes to see more of what God is doing.

Faith That Grows with the Seed

The mustard seed doesn’t grow overnight—but it does grow. And so does our faith when we keep watering it with prayer, trust, and thanksgiving.

Even when we don’t see the branches yet, we can choose to believe that God is at work. Even when we don’t understand the timing, we can rest in the truth that His timing is perfect. Even when the answer looks nothing like what we expected, we can be sure it will be exactly what we need.

So today, if you’re holding something that feels too small to be God’s answer—thank Him for it anyway. Thank Him for what it will become, for how He will use it, and for the bigger plan that is unfolding.

Because with God, nothing is ever “too small.”

With gratitude and faith,
Patti