Keeping Faith

Daily life is often punctuated by small things AND happenings to which we have ro-utine mechanical responses. The big events and the big c...

Daily life is often punctuated by small things AND happenings to which we have ro-utine mechanical responses. The big events and the big crises absorb most of our energies and we invest a lot of time and effort in meeting the big challenges of life. The small things may be our daily duties at home and at work, to which we pay little attention. It is precisely these small things and events, however, that colour our lives and shape our attitudes to the big events and crises in our lives.

In the course of our quotidian tasks and concerns, we weave a network of relationships. They consist of links of family, of friendship, of dependency, of ties with colleagues at work, with our grocer, our milkman, our watchman, our baker and many other persons to whom we relate in business-like terms. Over a period of time many of these relationships also acquire a touch of intimacy. It is this touch of personal interest and closeness that transforms our lives.

More often than not, it is these people who perform smallservices for us that lend order and stability to our lives. We may dismiss them as small things, but it is these small things in life that make up the grand tapestry of our existence. Again, it is the small acts of courtesy and graciousness, of gratitude and of humility that shape our lives.

Often it is those occupying high office who take the work and service of the lowly for granted. On the other hand, it is the poor and the marginalised who express gratitude for small favours done for them. I remember the lowly cobbler by the wayside, who after repairing my shoes and getting a negligible amount in return, in a gesture of gratitude asked, 8220;What have I really done for you that deserves this payment?quot;

Our faith in God and human beings too is shown precisely in the small acts of kindness, brotherhood or sisterhood and familiarity in our day-to-day lives. Faith in God and human beings does not require us to display heroic acts of courage and fidelity. On the contrary, it is the day-to-day commitments toour near and dear that make up the fabric of our lives.Given the present telecommunications revolution, the media tends to blow up certain events involving the rich and famous. The smaller events pass unnoticed and the small things in life are overlooked in what is often described as the hum-drum of existence.

But, if we had not learned simple acts of faith at our mother8217;s knees, when faced with a crisis we would be taken by storm and would be totally unprepared to meet the eventualities of life. Faith is in fact a day-to-day response to the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. Our attitudes to the ordinary prepare us to meet extraordinary situations with equanimity.

The small things in life may be waking up early morning and thanking God for the gift of life of another day. It may be watching the sunrise, feeling the tingling freshness in the morning air, waiting for the first flower to bloom on the tree we have planted, waiting for the household to awaken to the beginning of another day. It may meancatching our usual train or bus to work, acknowledging the greetings of our fellow passengers, exchanging pleasantries with friends and colleagues and performing the small acts of kindness that fill our days. It may mean getting on with our daily routine without complaining and overcoming the boredom of routine tasks.

Story continues below this ad

As we grow up and mature, we look for some quiet and space in our lives. We cherish the silences and often need more time for ourselves. In this time we spend with ourselves, we do not reflect on the grandiose schemes and plans of our life, but on the small things that we have done, and the routine and the drudgery are seen as springboards to the bigger issues and events in life.

The history of faith is made up of small things in life, small quotidian responses and the courage of many 8220;small people8221; and 8220;big people8221; who learned the value of the small and the beautiful in life.