Just a little person in a wide world

I recently spent a pleasant few hours at the Como Zoo in St. Paul. It was a warm day, but with a breeze, and we wandered around seeing the giraffes and zebra and ostrich and many primates all enjoying the afternoon sunshine. I especially love the polar bears, who swim and dive and play around paying no attention to the gawking people nearby.

I found myself tucked into a corner of the interior of the polar bear house. I was hoping that one of the white bears would lumber outside near my window when suddenly one did, appearing faster than I could believe, about three feet from where I was standing behind the safety glass. I snapped a photo as he leaped into the water and was in utter awe at the sheer size of him. (Or her?!) I felt perfectly safe, but couldn't help but look at those enormous paws and his gigantic head and imagine his powerful teeth.

I felt little and insignificant at that moment! Just a tiny bit of the wide, wide universe.

It makes me think of The Hobbit, when, at the conclusion of his journey, Bilbo is almost home again and Gandolf says to him, "You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you, but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all."

Bilbo's reply, at least in the old animated movie, is, "Thank goodness."

I can relate. Thank goodness that none of the wide world issues of the day are impacted by me. Thank goodness that I am just a tiny cog in the massive machine that is the world we live in. Oh, sure, I have my place, but I'm okay with my influence being limited in its power!

We are all small bits in a big world. But that doesn't mean we're insignificant. After all, Jesus said, "...even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30).

He says this in the context of talking about being fearless when doing the things he calls us to do. "Don't be afraid," he repeats several times. Don't be afraid even though it's not going to be easy. Don't be afraid even though it's actually going to be quite tough. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. The Holy Spirit will be with you.

We may be insignificant to the world, but we are not insignificant to Jesus. We are not alone in this great big world, no matter what bears we face - polar or otherwise.

We are not ever alone.

Thanks be to God.