By Small and Simple Things

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."
  --Alma the Younger to his son Helaman (Alma 37:6)

I've seen that passage many times, and I always wanted to appreciate meaning in it, but yesterday I read it differently for the first time.

I always used to take the meaning as something like, "Pay attention to the small things, because sometimes they're important because they play a part in larger things."  But that's not what the passage says.  The prophet Alma wasn't telling his son that small things are only sometimes important.  The words in that passage of scripture declare a broad truth: that, as a rule, great things happen by means of small things.  That's how life works.

It's easy for me to reflect on Army training exercises or other operations and see this principle in action.  When a large unit accomplishes anything, it happens through multiple people taking and issuing instruction, and through many very small actions over a long period of time.  Many soldiers conducting individual training or learning some seemingly mundane skill may feel like the small, simple task is not very important, but a large exercise comes together only through many people performing many small tasks.

My greatest hopes are, I believe, being realized through simple actions.  My greatest desire is for my children, that they will be faithful disciples of Christ and productive members of society.  I take many small moments to teach them little things about everything from history to science to language to anything else.  The small and simple actions I think are most important are those we've been counseled repeatedly to perform: prayer and scripture study.  Our (usually) nightly tradition of "Family Time", during which we sing a bit, study a few verses of scripture, and pray together, is of the greatest importance to me.  It only takes a few minutes, and the lessons learned are often small, but I do it all hoping that my children will be strong adults, and that will be a great thing.

Last thoughts for now:
I've long taken a view that small things are important.  (I even included a similar thought in my book.)  But perhaps I wanted to take an easier view of things--that the small actions we take, or the small thoughts or feelings we harbor, or any of the other various small concerns we have from day to day are only sometimes important for a larger purpose.  I think that now I have a better understanding of the principle Alma taught to his son.  Of course, I still fail in many small things from day to day, but I continually seek to repent and do better, and I will never underestimate how vital they are.